A Shinobi of Middle-Earth
by Deus Swiftblade
Summary: He had been wandering these lands for the longest time, having left his world behind when given the chance to do so. To most, he is simply a stranger who goes from one place to another. But when he invertedly gets himself involved with a quest that could mean the life or death of the world, he decides that it's time to stop being a stranger and be a part of something once more.
1. A stranger in the lands

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 1: A stranger in the lands

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Rivendell)

Lord Elrond Half-elven sat at his desk in Rivendell. He was waiting for Gandalf to arrive so that they speak with one another. It had been some years since they had talked with one another, but with rumors of dark things raising they were much too busy. But now, they must talk, for he had received strange news once too often.

"Father," Elladan said as he stepped through the door. "Mithrandir is here."

"Send him in," he told his son.

He stood aside and Gandalf the Grey came in. "Lord Elrond," the Wizard greeted him with a bow of his head.

He smiled and stood up from his seat. "Gandalf," he greeted him in return. He looked the same as the last time. His clothing was as grey as his name, with only a blue hat upon his head being the only different color. His staff was held in his hand, a gnarled and old wooden thing. Belted around his waist was the sword he knew to be Glamdring. "It's has been some time."

"Indeed it has. What have you summoned me for?"

"Please, sit." He sat down at his desk and Gandalf sat in the chair on the opposite side of the table, taking his hat off of his head. "Dark things and rumors have been around of late, my friend. Orcs have been seen in the lands around and near Imladris, attacking villages and towns of Men, always taking people with them when they flee."

Sorrow filled the Wizard's eyes at the news. "Can nothing to be done to rescue those who have been taken?"

"I have sent out riders to track down these orc bands, but it always seems to be unnecessary. When they find the orcs, they are already dead and the people who have been stolen have been taken back to their homes."

"Hmm, how interesting," he said, the sorrow being taken from his eyes. "I have heard similar things from the Rangers of the North as well as Rohan and Gondor. Orcs who raid and take prisoners are always tracked down and killed, the prisoners freed and returned to the nearest safe haven. But they never know who their savoir is. All they can remember is the sound of small bells ringing in the air and the cry of a bird before the orcs are slaughter."

"We have heard similar tales, but they also say that it is a Man and his hair is as black as a raven's. Already, there are those here who call this stranger Crabandir," the Lord of Rivendell told him.

Gandalf smiled. "Well, as names go, it's not a bad one."

"Gandalf, we know nothing of this person. Any and all attempts to find or track him have ended in naught. And this has been going for years now. How could such a person be hidden from all our efforts?"

"Do you believe that the Enemy would have one person attack his orcs and kill them so he might prove himself to be on our side?"

"We must consider all the possibilities," Elrond answered. "I would not put such a suggestion past the Enemy. Whoever this Crabandir is, he's not of Middle-Earth. No man would hide from us."

"We cannot judge him when he is not here to defend himself," the Wizard told him. "Perhaps, in time, he will reveal himself to us."

"Perhaps," he conceded. "If he truly is saving the lives of these people, he might not be with the darkness after all."

"Indeed. Now, I pray that you will excuse me," Gandalf said as he stood up from his chair again. "I must be off."

"And where are you heading now, Mithrandir?" he asked, curiosity filling his voice.

"I'm off to see an old friend and to celebrate his birthday." There was a smile on his lips when he spoke those words.

The Lord of Rivendell smiled too, for he knew who the Wizard was speaking of. "Give Master Baggins my regards when you see him."

"Of course," he said in reply before turning to the door, letting the sounds of the night and the light of the moon to fill the room. "Good night, Lord Elrond." He stepped out of the door and away from sight.

Elrond sat in silence as his old friend and ally left. Then he stood from his chair and went over to the balcony. He looked down at Rivendell, seeing all that it was. This stranger who walked through the lands as if he was a ghost troubled him. He felt a sense of something whenever he heard news of this Crabandir. A sense of someone he knew a long time ago, someone who was long been dead.

Before he knew what they were doing, his feet were taking him to one of the many halls in his home. He was alone as he walked, the sound of his feet filling the air as much as the sound of the water of the nearby river and the sound of the birds in the air. The night air was light and felt sweet upon his face, but he paid no attention to it. Soon he had left the open air and stood in another hall, looking upon a painting. _"You have been gone a long time, mellon,"_ he thought to himself.

(Location: Eriador)

The fire cracked and spluttered, giving somesmall light and comfort to those who sat around it. The girl and the boy he had rescued three days past had fallen asleep but he was still awake. All around them, the night was alive with the sounds of the forest. But he did not pay attention to the night. He only watched the fire.

It had been ten years since he had come here. Ten years since he and his friend (if not brother) fought against each other. Ten years since he was given one chance to leave and took it. Ten years since the power that came with the mark on his hand was sealed. Ten years since he took his first step onto the shores of this land. _"Ten years,"_ he thought to himself. _"It has been a long time."_

But it was not something he had hated. Before he had left, he wanted to destroy the world he knew and rebuild it so it would better. But when he left, he found that leaving the world that he knew was enough. It was better this way. The troubles of the world he knew no longer plagued and haunted him and his friends (for he did regard them as his friends once more, in that short time they had fought together again) would be safe from whatever harm he might've caused them.

A noise came from the lips of the boy; getting his attention and making him smile a little. At the beginning, he wasn't sure why he did this, tracking down these oni-like creatures, killing them, and rescuing those they had taken. But when he brought the rescued back to their home and saw their families hold them tightly with tears of in their eyes, he found that reason. It was so parents would never wonder what had happen to their children and the children could see their parents again. And once he was sure they were home, he would leave (although, there were times he stayed the night).

He also knew the people of these lands have tried seeking him out. He saw no reason for them to do this. He was content to be nothing but a stranger, a mere ghost to the people who lived here. _"I wonder what he would say about that,"_ he wondered to himself, thinking about his friend before chuckling a little. _"Heh, he'd probably praise me for saving these people and yell at me for hiding away."_

He stoked the fire, keeping its life going for a bit longer. It would ward off most animals that lived in the surrounding forests. When it died, his senses would be their shield. The children's home was two days from here if they kept the same pace. They would be home soon. Once he was done with the fire, he laid down next to it with his back on the ground. Within a few moments, he was asleep.

(Location: Arwen)

Her horse raced across the land, through plains and forests. She urged him on with all possible speed. She had to get to her home, to Rivendell. Frodo sat in the saddle in front of her, but she could feel him fading. The Morgul blade fragment was still in his heart and it was drawing him into the Shadow World. She needed to get him to her father so he can be healed.

But even as she raced towards home, the Nazgûl were following her, all nine of them. Even though she dared not look back, she could hear the pounding of their horses' hooves and their screeches of triumph of finding her. Soon they appeared to her sides and she could not help but look at them.

They were all cloaked in black robes, wearing armored boots and iron gauntlets. They rode horses that were as black as their robes. Beneath their cowls, there was nothing. Whatever had been of their former lives was no longer there to see. They closed around her, trying to box her in with their own horses. One of them reached out for the Hobbit she carried. His armored hand was all but a few inches from taking ahold of Frodo.

She quickly spoke to her horse, urging him to run faster, to break away from the trap they would be stuck in. He responded and raced ahead into the forest, breaking out of the box they would've been trapped in. She knew that wouldn't stop the Ringwraiths, but she knew where she was. If she could avoid them for just a little longer, she would reach the Ford of Bruinen, beyond that lay Rivendell.

After a few minutes of tense out-maneuvering and dodging, she burst out of the forest towards the Ford, going across it without any hesitation. A few seconds after she had crossed, the Nazgûl appeared. Their horses stopped at the edge of the Ford, hesitant to cross. They screeched in fury at what she had done. **"Give up the Halfling, She-Elf!"** one of them ordered her.

Frodo groaned, as if he heard those words. She drew her blade and held it high. "If you want him, come and claim him!" She shouted in defiance.

All nine drew their swords in response and began urging their horses into the water. But before they could even make a single step, the sound of birds chirping filled the air. Something leapt out from the forest and charged at the Nazgûl. In a single moment, she saw a streak of light and all nine horses were on the ground, dead, and taking their riders with them. As the Ringwraiths struggled to get free, Arwen saw what looked to be a man with a hat of some kind on his head and wearing a coat with red clouds standing in the river between her and them. "Go!" he commanded her without turning to face her. "Get to safety! I will hold them!"

She would've said that he was the one who should get to safety. But Frodo was getting weaker, she could feel it. "I will send aide to you!" she promised to him before turning her horse around and urging him on again.

She only focused on getting to Rivendell and was relieved when she finally saw it. Her horse galloped across the bridge and into the courtyard beyond it, getting the attention of the servants nearby, who rushed to her side. "Get this Hobbit to my father!" she commanded, helping them take Frodo off of the saddle. "He's been pierced by a Morgul blade!"

He was taken away quickly, which allowed three elves to appear before her. "Sister!" her brother Elrohir said when he approached her. Beside him was his twin Elladan and Glorfindel.

It was the third who she turned to. "Lord Glorfindel, you must take whatever warriors who are here and ride for the Ford at once!" she told him. "A man is there. He's holding off the Nazgûl and will soon perish if aide is not sent to him!"

The Elf-Lord turned away at once, calling for his horse and sword. Her brothers did the same, as did any elf who was a warrior. Within minutes, a score of them rode out.

* * *

><p>"<em>This might've been a bad idea,"<em> he thought to himself as he fought the nine creatures in the water, sword in one hand and kunai in the other. _"Have I been missing him so much, I'm channeling him?"_

When he first saw the woman fleeing from the black riders, he knew that she would not last. Assuming that the riders were just cloaked humans, he followed them and intervened, giving the woman the time to flee. It was only when the riders attacked him that he realized that they were not humans. He was able to hold his own, barely. But he would like to put that down to the number of them, not their skill or power.

He made sure to never let them encircle him; it would be the death of him if they did. He was always moving, evading and then counterattacking. Swords clashed against swords as they attacked him, never giving him enough time or space to weave handseals.

The sounds of horses mingled with the sound of the running river. Casting a quick look back, he saw riders appear at the edge of the bank of the ford. The creatures saw them as well. Screeching in either anger or madness, they fled back to the forest they had come out of, leaving him there, standing on the water.

Sheathing his sword and putting away the kunai, he looked around for his conical hat and saw the ruins of it floating down the river. Shame, he had liked that hat. It had been with him just as long as the coat he wore (which was now showed many cuts and tears from where the swords of the creatures had struck him).

"How do you fare, friend?" one of the riders called out to him.

"I'm fine," he replied without taking his eyes off where the creatures ran. He took a step in that direction and felt weak.

"Where are you going?" another of the riders asked him.

"After them," he answered. If he could track them down one by one, he could probably take them out.

Apparently, the riders seemed to think differently about it. "You are mad to go after them!" the first rider told him. "Do you not know what they were?"

"Monsters, that's all." That was all he needed to know.

"Those are not just any monsters. They are the Nazgûl, the nine Ringwraiths of Sauron. You are lucky to have lasted this long against all nine of them." From the way he said those words, the rider sounded surprised that he had lived, period.

"Not luck, just skill," he told them, still keeping his eyes on the forest. By now it was probably too late to keep pace with them, not in the state he was in.

"Friend, you are weakened and tired, I can see it in the way you hold yourself now. I beg you, come with us to Imladris. There is food and drink as well as a good bed."

He would've walked away, to go after those monsters. But the sound of a good bed, which he hadn't had since he brought those two children back to their homes five months ago and stayed one night, was too tempting to pass up. "Very well, I will go with you," he declared, turning to face them. There were twelve riders, lightly armored and carrying weapons. They held themselves with a grace he had only seen in the most experienced of shinobi and their ears were tapered. _"These must be the Elves I've heard so much of,"_ he thought to himself.

"I am Glorfindel of Rivendell," the rider in the front introduced himself. "And you are…?"

"Uchiha Sasuke," he answered as he came out of the ford, walking on the water until his feet reached dry land.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

What? Did you think I was always going to go with Naruto as the main character? I'll admit the original idea did have him instead. But after mentally fiddling with it, I decided to go with Sasuke instead.

And let me get this out of the way so people won't ask me about it for the rest of the story: there will be no romance for Sasuke. He's not going to fall in love with anyone from Middle-Earth, so don't start.

The original idea had called for him to voluntarily be exiled from the Elemental Countries after the war and after the trial he would've had be put through. But having read the most recent chapter, a change was need. Plus, it gave me a chance to seal away what was in his left eye. Can't have him be too overpowered now, can I?

The ten years between his arriving and the present day was put there because I didn't want to have him be a teenager when this all happened. Having him be a full adult gives him time to cool down a bit.

While I'm writing this story, I'm going to be drawing from the movie and not the books. I've tried reading the books and stopped after getting confused. But that had been when I was middle school. Maybe it's time to try again.

If there are any of you who think that the Elvish names and titles that I might come up with in the story sound and look wrong, please let me know. You would think that with all those Tolkien scholars out there, a dictionary would've been published by now. The man had created about five languages and the only thing I have for a translator is the Internet, not the best of things.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	2. To have a common past

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 2: To have a common past

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Rivendell)

When Frodo had been brought to Elrond, he began to heal the hobbit immediately. The process took more than a few days and even when it was done and Frodo had been saved, he was left in a deep sleep. It was only then that the Lord of Rivendell had learned that Glorfindel and his sons had brought who they believed to be Crabandir to Rivendell. During the time of healing, they had placed him in a spare room and allowed him to wander the halls, but always kept a close watch on him.

It was past time for him to introduce himself to his guest, as was his duty as a host. When Glorfindel told him that he was in one of the halls, he went to meet this Crabandir. He found the man standing before a painting and took the time to observe him. He was young, probably only twenty-seven or so. His hair was black and fell to the back of his shoulder blades in messy spikes while two locks fell down the sides of his face, resting on the chest of the coat he wore. The coat itself was black with red clouds outlined in white, but had cuts and tears on it. What skin he showed was fair, but his black eyes were focused on the painting, or rather, on one thing in the painting.

"You seemed to see one thing rather the whole," the Lord of Rivendell said as he walked forward, getting the attention of Crabandir. "What is it that you see?"

The young man turned his gaze to him, eyes instantly looking to see if he was a threat or not. "Who are you?" he asked, his tone guarded.

While the question might've sounded rude, Elrond took no offense at it. "I am Elrond, Lord of Rivendell, of which you've been staying in for the past few days," he introduced himself.

Those black eyes looked at him for a moment longer. Then they flicked back to the painting. "It is interesting to see a person stand before me and also see him in a painting that looks to be ancient," Crabandir remarked. "Either you are immortal, or you have an ancestor with whom you share the same face with."

"I have never shared a face with an ancestor of mine, and I was there in what the painting portrays." It portrayed the evening was after the Black Gate of Mordor fell and it shows all the leaders of the Last Alliance sitting around a fire. In the painting, he sat next to Gil-galad, the last High King of the Ñoldor, whose great glaive, Aeglos, rested by his side. Elendil, the High King of both Arnor and Gondor and his sons, Isildur and Anarion, sat opposite of them. His sword, Narsil, rested in his lap while he held a whetstone in his hand. At their side was Durin IV, King of the Dwarves of Khazad-dûm, his hand resting on his war axe.

Isildur and Anarion sat staunchly by their father's side while the Elrond in the painting did the same with Gil-galad. While Durin sat by the sides of Men, he did not look like he was speaking with them. The way the painting was created, they all looked to be deep in conference with one another. If not for the seriousness of the rest of the painting (which even showed the ruins of the Black Gate in the far background), it would've looked like they were having a conversation to pass the night.

But they were not who Crabandir was looking at. Instead, his eyes were focused on the Man who sat next to Elrond. He wore clothes that were not same to what the others wore. Save for a pair of pauldrons on his shoulders and a breastplate, he wore no armor. He was staring into the fire and the fire was painted in such a way, it blocked the view of his eyes, leaving only his eyebrows (which were cut short) to be seen.

"What is he doing in this painting?" Crabandir asked Elrond, pointing at the man.

"He was there, fighting in that war. It was because of him the Black Gate fell." He paused for a moment. "And he saved my life from ending at the hands of a Troll." Had it not been for that Man, his skull would've been crushed from a hammer.

"How much do you know of him?"

That was a strange question, to be sure. But one that had followed him ever since that man, who he had called mellon, had left Middle-Earth. "I'm afraid not much. Even the name he gave us was not his actual one. He had only asked that we called him Kage. He was a mystery to all of us, but he was invulnerable to the Alliance." Were it not for his eyes (for the Lord of Rivendell remembered the power those eyes had held), the Last Alliance would've lost more soldiers then they had.

Crabandir stood silent for a minute or so before he spoke again. "His actual name was Indra. He was the firstborn son of Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo, the Rikudō Sennin," he told the elf. "To have found that he had been in this land is surprising."

Elrond was surprised to hear this come from a stranger in these lands. But the name he had been given had sounded just foreign as the name he had been given all those years ago. "And how is it that you know more about this Man then I do, even when you haven't met him?"

"Because I am his last descendent," he answered, finally turning to look at his host. "My name is not Crabandir; it is Uchiha Sasuke, last of the Uchiha clan."

It was a formal introduction and the Lord of Rivendell accepted it as such. "Welcome to Rivendell, Uchiha Sasuke," he said in greeting. "I apologize for not greeting you earlier."

"There's no need to apologize," the man told him. "You were busy saving that child's life. I was of secondary importance to that." There was also the fact that he had fallen asleep when shown his room and slept for a day, but there was no need to mention that to his host.

But now his host was confused. "What child do you speak of?"

He frowned. "The child that was being carried by the elf woman on the horse," he explained.

"That was no child, that was Frodo Baggins, a Hobbit," Elrond explained, realizing what he meant.

Now he was the one who confused. "What's a Hobbit?" He had been wandering these lands for the past ten years. He had met different kingdoms of humans and had heard of the Elves and Dwarves, but he had never heard of a Hobbit before.

"That, I'm afraid, is a question you shall have to ask a hobbit." It would be rather rude to speak of them when they are not there to explain it themselves ('though Men had often done that about the Elves and Dwarves). "Why did you fight the Nazgûl and allowed my daughter, Arwen, to ride for Rivendell?"

"She needed help. She would not have lasted against them."

A smile graced his lips when he heard that. "You do not know the Elves, my young friend. When she crossed the Ford, she was in my realm. All she had to do was speak the words and help would've come to her."

"I did not know that. All I know is that I saw someone standing against nine creatures while also carrying someone. If it had come to a fight, her attention would've been divided and she would not have lasted then. So I slew their mounts and fought them so she could flee to safety."

"There are very few who are bold enough to fight the Nazgûl, but never have they've done so against all nine. To do so would've been suicidal at best."

"You say that like I had intended to kill all of them at that moment," Sasuke remarked. "I had not. It was only after they had fled that I had planned to track them down and kill them off, one by one."

"You would not have succeeded. The Ringwraiths are not like Men, Elves, or Dwarves. They can sense each other and will hasten to another's aid if one of them is attacked." There were many records of how attempted ambushes of the Nazgûl always ended horribly.

"Then perhaps it's for the better that your man convinced me to come here." He paused for a moment, and then started talking again. "I'll only stay for a few more days and then I will be on my way." He had already been longer then he usually stayed at a place. It was time that he left.

"Actually, I hope that you will stay longer, young Sasuke," Elrond told him. "Events are taking shape that could change the world. For the better or for the worse has yet to be decided. Since Frodo has brought the One Ring to Rivendell, I have called for a council so that the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth may decide what to do."

"And why do you want me? I am not from Middle-Earth."

"That is true. But I believe that, like your ancestor, you will help decide the outcome. All that I ask is that you stay until all the delegates have arrived and that join the council when it is convened." It was a feeling that fueled his belief, for it seemed to him that the descendent was like the ancestor, only he did not know it himself.

But the young Crabandir only shook his head. "I can't. It's not my place. I am a stranger in these lands and I am content to stay a stranger."

"You have been a stranger for years now, Crabandir. I think it is time that you stepped out of the shadows."

Those words seemed to ring in his ears and his mind. How long had he been in the shadows and in the darkness? Even when he had come to these lands, he had stayed where it was most familiar and for good reason. But now, he was being asked to step out of what he knew and back into the light that he had abandoned when he was only twelve. He didn't know what it was exactly that made him think about it when before, his answer would've been no straight away. Maybe it was how the Elven Lord spoke to him or maybe it was how he sounded like he had faith in him.

An image of a moronic grin on a familiar blonde filled his head as he thought about that choice. _"Kami take you, Naruto,"_ he thought not unkindly. _"Why does your faith in me always seem to follow me around?"_ When they had clashed for the last time and Naruto was the one who stood over him in victory, he would've thought that faith would be shattered. But it remained firm when the blonde pulled him up by his marked hand and told him that he was being given one last chance to leave (it was only on the ship that Sasuke realized that was when the power in his marked hand had been sealed).

And now, someone else was showing him that same kind of faith. If the truth of the moment was being told, he found himself to be a little…scared by it, even hesitant. _"Let's just see where this goes,"_ he thought to himself, willing himself to step forward. "Very well, I accept your offer, Lord Elrond," He told the elf. "But if I'm going to join this council of yours, I will need to know what exactly is happening. Therefore, I need information."

"The libraries here in Rivendell are at your disposal," Elrond told him, glad to have him stay. "Is there anything else you will need?"

"…Needle and thread," he said after a moment of silence, lifting an arm to show the damage his coat had.

* * *

><p>As the days went on and Rivendell waited for all the delegates of the Free Peoples to arrive, Sasuke busied himself with learning what he needed to know, repairing his coat, or just training. During this time, he had also given himself a bit of a haircut and rid himself of those two locks (they had been bugging him for the past month or so).<p>

It was while he was training himself that he finally met hobbits. Or rather, they saw him before he saw them. "What do you think he's doing?" Pippin asked Merry as the two of them, as well Sam and Frodo (who had woken up only two days past) watched as the man moved around an empty courtyard. They were not the only ones to be watching, as Strider and the sons of Lord Elrond were watching too.

"Probably exercise," Merry answered him.

"But what kind of exercise?" he try to clarify. "Do you think it's some sort of dancing?"

"It certainly looks like it. But I think if we ask him that, it would be rather rude," Sam told them, As the hobbits spoke, the subject of their discussion spun in a half-circle and brought his hands out into a gesture that almost looked like they were pushing something away.

"Frodo, how do you fare?" Strider asked the fourth hobbit once he had realized that they were there.

"I'm well, Strider. Thank you," Frodo told him, walking over to him with the other three hobbits following him. He had been feeling much better since Lord Elrond had saved his life. "But my friends and I were wondering what exactly is he doing down there?" He gestured down to where the raven-haired man was still moving.

"No, I do not," he admitted.

"Perhaps Crabandir is just dancing?" Elrohir suggested with a small smile on his lips.

"See? I told you," Pippin told Merry.

"I think that Crabandir would take it as an insult if you called whatever it is he's doing a dance." Strider told the elf pointedly, turning to face him.

"A jest, Estel," he replied easily enough. "It was only a jest."

"But still, perhaps one of us should spar against him, to see how good he actually is," his twin brother suggested.

Elrohir smiled at that. "Perhaps two of us should do it," he suggested in returned, making his twin smile as well. They knew their strengths and they knew that there were a very few who could manage against both of them.

"Mister Elrohir and Mister Elladan, I think he is done," Sam told the two of them, looking down at the man, who had stopped moving.

The two brothers shared one more look with one another before descending down to the courtyard. "Well met, Crabandir," Elladan called out to the man.

He turned to see who it was that called for his given name, seeing that it was the twin sons of Lord Elrond. They had been his guides through Rivendell but in a sense, they were also his watchers. Whenever he delved into the library to find what he needed to know, they would stay in sight of him. "Which one are you?" he asked the twin who had spoken.

"I'm Elladan," he admitted. They had tried switching identities the first few days they had known him, just to see if they could fool him. But he always called them out on it and was proven right most of the time, so they just stopped.

"What do you need?"

"We were wondering if you cared to spare with both of us." A couple moments of silence followed that question and in those seconds, the twins took the chance to study their would-be opponent. His clothes showed how he had traveled all over Middle-Earth. His boots were from Rohan while his leggings looked like they had been made in Gondor. The stitching on his shirt showed that came from the North, but the design was not. If anything, the design of the short-sleeved shirt was so one end was pulled over the other and tied off (probably something from where he came).

But what caught the eye was the fact that his left arm, from the shoulder to fingertips, was covered in bandages. They did not know why that was the case, but they did know he could move it with perfect functionality. They could also tell that despite the different places he got the clothes, they had all been designed so that he could fade away from sight.

After those moments of silence were done, Crabandir finally spoke. "Fine," he told the two of them. His hand reached back and grabbed hold of what looked like some sort of iron bar to the hobbits.

But the twins knew that was only his sword and promptly drew their own. "We're ready to begin when you are." Elrohir told him.

"Then wait," he replied. His free hand reached for a pocket and pulled a strip of black cloth out from it.

"What is that for?" Elladan asked him, confused and curious about it.

"It's a handicap," he answered, more focused on tying the cloth around his eyes and making sure it was secure.

"Why is he doing that?" Pippin asked, very confused by what he saw.

"Does it look like I know, Pippin?" Merry asked back, sounding a little annoyed with the pointless question.

"Well, there has to be a reason," he protested.

"He did say it was a handicap," Frodo told the rest of his fellow hobbits. "But I do not know why he would want to do that to himself. Strider, can you guess?" he asked the man, who now stood closer to them.

"I am not sure myself, for I have never seen something like this before," Strider admitted. "Perhaps he means to practice using his other senses by forbidding himself from using one." It would certainly seem like. The few times he had practiced without the use of his eyes in swordplay, he had thought his sense of hearing and feeling had sharpened somewhat. But those feelings did not last long and he did not think much of it.

Once he was sure it was secure around his eyes, Sasuke looked in the direction of the elf twins. "Attack," he ordered them, keeping his sword sheathed but ready to use.

Elladan and Elrohir shared a look again. They had never really seen anyone do this and it made them uneasy. "Are you sure?" Elrohir asked him. "You do not need to fight blinded."

"Attack," he ordered them again, this time sounding a bit impatient.

They did as ordered, stepping forward as one and then breaking off so that they could attack from the sides. It was a tactic that they knew by heart, as was the sword-strike from above that followed. But what not the norm was the fact that Sasuke lifted his sword up to block the strikes, unsheathing it just a little so that the length would be long enough to block both. He sheathed the sword and dropped low.

He tried to knock them off of their feet with a kick, but they stepped back away from the foot. When the blindfolded man stood back up, they attacked again, trying to work as a coordinated team. It was an impressive display of swordsmanship and teamwork those who saw the spar would later admit (and the number of people watching was growing).

But despite their teamwork, Sasuke always parried or blocked their strikes with his sword still in its sheath. Whenever he moved, it seemed like he was acting just before they did, stopping their attacks just before they could actually do anything. And he never really moved. He might take a step forward or a step back, but it was only to block or parry. If not for those steps, he would've been like a statue.

"My old Gaffer would not believe this if he saw it," Sam declared as he watched the spar go on.

"_I_ don't believe this and _I'm_ seeing this," Merry told him, his eyes riveted on the spar. He didn't know one could use the sheath of a sword as a method to block things.

"Neither have Elladan or Elrohir," Strider remarked, watching the twins as they kept acting as a team. Whatever thoughts they had of this being an easy spar had long since vanished. The expressions on their faces had hardened.

Again and again, they kept attacking on the man they called Crabandir. And Again and again, he only blocked and parried (with the occasional kick or punch thrown in to keep them off balance). The sound of steel striking steel filled the courtyard as the three fought. More people were being attracted by the sounds of a fight. Even the delegates that had come for the council were looking in.

"What goes on here, Estel?" a long-haired, blonde elf asked Strider, walking up to beside him. He was dressed in clothes of green that would allow him to stay hidden from the eye in a forest and carried a bow on his back along with a quiver of arrows.

"Greetings, Legolas," he said to the elf in reply, knowing him to be the son of King Thranduil and a Prince of Mirkwood. "Lord Elrond's sons are sparring against Crabandir and are losing the spar."

"They fight against Crabandir? Truly?" the Prince of Mirkwood asked. The Woodland Elves had heard of this stranger who wandered the lands. They had even seen him pass through the forest sometimes, but he was always passing through. Whenever there had been an orc band going through the woods and there had been reports of the man, the orcs were killed long before the elves found them.

"An elf impressed by a man? This must truly be an interesting sight," A gruff voice remarked as two dwarves approached. Both were red of hair and had great beards on their faces, showing that they were related. In their hands, they carried axes in such a way that showed they knew how to use them. The elder of the two dwarves had been the one to speak.

It was Frodo who was the first to recognize the elder dwarf, even though they had never met. "You are Glóin, part of the Company that retook the Lonely Mountain," he said.

"Aye, that would be me," Glóin answered, looking at him. "And how would a hobbit such as yourself know about that?"

"My name is Frodo Baggins. My uncle traveled with your Company. He was supposed to be the burglar."

A grin broke out from the beard of the elder dwarf. "Ha! You're Bilbo's nephew! How has he been doing all these years?"

"He has been well. He's here in Rivendell, actually."

The grin grew even wider. "Then perhaps I should go and find him before I leave this place. It'll be good to speak with him again." His grin faded when he looked at Legolas. "I wonder if he remembers our entire journey fondly. I, for one, do not."

"Well met, Lord Glóin," the elf prince told the dwarf, looking over at him. "It has been some time since we met."

"Aye, it has been some time. And yet, now it doesn't feel like any time has passed." It would not have been polite to say there was a growl in his voice when he spoke those words, but it was there all the same. "Have you met my lad, Gimli," he asked, gesturing to the younger dwarf beside him. "I believe that you once called him a goblin mutant?"

Gimli looked like he had something to say about that, but Strider intervened before the conversation could to a direction they might regret later. "Peace, Lord Glóin," he told the elder dwarf. "Lord Elrond would not let the peace of Rivendell be disturbed before the council has even convened."

Glóin scowled for a moment, but then nodded curtly. "Aye, I suppose that would be true," he conceded. He turned his attention back to the spar. "So, who's the lad fighting the two elves?"

"The one called Crabandir, the stranger who does not give his name and hunts down orcs," Legolas told him. "Surely you've heard of him."

"The King under the Mountain has been getting reports from the King of Dale about someone bringing children thought lost in raids to the city and leaving before anyone could actually thank him. The children have apparently been calling him the Bell Man, for they always hear the chime of bells when he walks," Gimli said, admitting that they have heard of him, just not by the same name.

As he watched the spar, Glóin's eyes remained focused on the man. _"Hmm, why does it feel like I should know him?"_ he silently asked himself. There was something vaguely familiar about the lad but he could not figure out what it was.

The spar had now attracted a great deal of people. It was rare to see a non-elf be able to match speeds with an elf, it was rarer still to see a non-elf hold his own against two elves. And yet, Crabandir was doing just that. Never once in the entire spar had he fully drawn his sword from its sheath, only enough to get the length he needed to block the strikes from Elrohir and Elladan. His blindfolded face showed nothing that could reveal what he was thinking or planning. In fact, it showed nothing at all. It was blank.

Elrond's sons felt their strength start leaving them as they continued to fight. Their opponent somehow must've sensed this in them, for that was the moment when he finally acted. He shot out his foot at Elladan, hooking it behind his leg and pulling, causing the elf to fall to the ground. When he tried to stand back up, he found Crabandir's foot pressed lightly against his throat, in such a way that all he would have to end the elf's life was push down. His sword was now fully out of its sheath and pointed directly at Elrohir, who tried to attack from behind, its tip lightly touching his neck. "Yield," Crabandir ordered the two of them.

They had lost, that much was obvious and they both knew it. "We yield," they said in unison. It was enough as their victorious opponent removed both his foot and his sword from their throats and stepped back from them. The people surrounding the courtyard began to applaud the spar (the dwarves a bit more loudly then the others).

As he sheathed his sword and placed back behind him in between the two belts buckled around his waist, Elrohir went over and helped his brother stand back up. "That was well fought, Crabandir," Elladan said once he was back on his feet. "You are quite the fighter."

"I was holding back," he said in reply. "If I had been serious, you would not have lasted five seconds."

"Then it was good that we did not commit our entire strength to this spar," Elrohir remarked. What he didn't say was that was only at the beginning of the spar. As it went on, they used more and more movements that were designed for actual combat use. By the time it had ended, they were coming at him with the intent to kill.

"…If you say so," he replied after a moment of silence. He had noticed that their attacks had come faster and harder as the spar went on, but it didn't mean anything to him. He reached up and pulled the blindfold from his eyes, allowing him to see once more.

"Durin's Beard!" swore Glóin once he saw the eyes of the man, making everyone near to him look at him with surprise in their eyes. That surprise was doubled when he began to laugh and make his way down to the courtyard, getting the attention of the elves and man there. "Madara, lad!" he said to the Bell Man. "It's been sixty years and you still look the same as you did when you left. Don't tell me you've found out how to live forever from those elves! The rest of the lads won't let you off lightly for that!"

Sasuke could only stare at the dwarf in shock. "You…think I am Madara?" he finally asked. Most of the people he had met who knew Madara (few they be, and dead) had said that he looked more like Izuna. Had he changed so much in the past ten years?

The grin that had appeared on the dwarf's face faded a little. "So…you aren't Uchiha Madara?"

"I am Uchiha Sasuke," he clarified. "Uchiha Madara is my ancestor. How do you know him?"

The grin had turned to a smile. "The people of the Lonely Mountain and Dale are not likely to forget Madara the Dragon-dueler, who forced Smaug to the ground and tore off his wings, giving Bard time to shoot the Black Arrow," Glóin told him.

"What's all this noise going on here? I had never thought Rivendell would be so noisy." Bilbo remarked from behind everyone. Frodo turned to his uncle walk slowly towards the courtyard and a smile appeared on his face. He was glad to see the old hobbit, even when he looked much older than he did in the Shire.

Glóin looked up when he heard the voice of his old friend. "Bilbo, you old burglar, you look ancient!" he called up to the hobbit.

"You don't look any younger, Glóin!" he called down, a smile on his lips when he saw his old friend. "I'm surprised that hair of yours hasn't turned white already! It's no use trying to stay young; you're older than I am!"

"Don't worry, Gimli has been trying his best to turn my hair white, but he hasn't succeeded yet!" He looked back at the man beside him. "Take a look at this lad here, Bilbo. Does he remind you of anyone in particular?"

The elder Baggins peered down at Sasuke, narrowing his eyes a little as he looked. Then his eyes widened in surprise. "My goodness," he said. "If I did not know any better, I would say I was seeing a ghost. Madara, my dear friend, is that you?"

"_Madara was a dear friend to him?"_ Sasuke thought to himself, surprised by that. But while he tried to figure all that out, he noticed that there were too many people watching him at that moment. "Can we have this conversation privately?" he asked both Glóin and Bilbo. They had seen the same thing he had and nodded in agreement.

* * *

><p>Once they had taken themselves away from the eyes of others, the dwarf and the hobbit told him about Madara and how he was a part of retaking the Lonely Mountain. It was a tale filled with richness of adventures and locations. If Sasuke was to close his eyes, he could all but see what they were talking of.<p>

But what kept his attention was how they spoke of Madara. He remembered the Uchiha ancestor as an arrogant man who could back his arrogance with a lot of confidence, skill, and power who was also hell-bent on subjecting the entire world into a false reality. They remembered Madara as a man who was quiet but also had a sarcastic sense of humor. Out of all of the Company, he got along most well with Thorin and his nephews, Fili and Kili, and was devastated when they had been slain in battle. Once the Lonely Mountain was secured and the adventure over, he left the Company, disappearing forever. "We never knew what became of him," Bilbo finished.

"I do," Sasuke told him. "If I understand the time he was here in Middle-Earth correctly, it would've been after he left Konohagakure, the hidden village that he helped found. He came back and tried to destroy the village, only to be stopped by Hashirama Senju, the Shodaime Hokage."

From there, he told them all what had happened. He told them of how he had faked his death and weaved a great and terrible plan to pull the entire world into a dream-like state. He told them of how he lived to an old age and passed his plan to another Uchiha, who he had corrupted and manipulated into believing the same thing, before dying. He told them of when his soul was brought back to the living world to fight in a war and when he managed to bring himself back to life. And he told them he was defeated and killed. The only thing he didn't tell them was how he was killed and what happened afterwards (because that was something else entirely).

Both Bilbo and Glóin had saddened expressions upon their faces once he had finished telling his tale. "Did all that truly happen?" Glóin asked him.

"Aye, it did. I was there in the battle where he was killed," he answered with a nod.

"What exactly was this plan of his?" Bilbo asked.

"He would've cast a powerful jutsu on the moon, making it reflect down on the earth. Once people were in its light, they were trapped in the jutsu. He meant to strip the world of its free will, so that there would be no more struggles or conflicts."

The dwarf amongst them turned grim when he heard those words. "So that's what he meant that day."

"I suppose it does," Bilbo agreed solemnly. "What do you think would happen if we hadn't been grieving for Thorin, Fili, and Kili that day? Do you think we would've heard more then what he was just saying, Glóin?"

"Even if we did and even if we had asked him what he meant, would we have been able to stop him?" Glóin asked back. "You and I both heard of the power he used to help Beorn rescue them from the battle. Bard told us that it was the same power that allowed him to tear off Smaug's wings. I don't think we would've lived long if we turned against him."

"Did he say something particular?" Sasuke asked him.

"It was the night of Thorin's funeral. At the feast, we all shared a table. He had started wondering aloud about what there was a world that had no good or evil, no right or wrong, no winners and no losers. We had assumed that he was speaking from grief of being unable to save them, so we did not pay much heed to it. But within the next few days, he disappeared." He stood up from where he had sat. "Forgive me, Bilbo. But I should go make sure dwarves that came with me are settled in and not causing a mess that we're going to regret later."

"There's no need to apologize, Glóin. We'll talk later," the hobbit told him with a smile.

The dwarf left, leaving the old Baggins and the Uchiha alone. "…So, you are a hobbit," Sasuke finally said to break the silence.

It might've sounded rude, but Bilbo only smiled. "And you are one of the Big Folk. A rather strange one I might add," he said in reply.

"True."

"Have you ever been to the Shire in your travels?" The old hobbit had heard about the man sitting before him from Elrond at one time during a dinner they had together, so he knew of how long he had been here in Middle-Earth.

He shook his head. "No, I haven't. The Rangers kept its borders protected and I had no wish to test their anger in trying to get passed them. So I avoided those borders wherever they were. That and any oni that I was tracking never came near there."

"Oni?" Bilbo asked, a confused frown appearing on his face as he spoke. The word sounded strange to him, both to the ear and to the tongue.

"Those orc creatures," he clarified, having found their proper name only a week ago in a tome that told of how they were created. "In my language, oni means devil or demon."

"Hmm, an accurate description of them," the hobbit admitted. "There are some here who also wondered why you were tracking these orcs down in the first place."

"Are you one of those people?"

"Nothing of the sort," he answered easily. "But I can admit that I am curious about why a stranger in these lands would risk his life in tracking down and killing orcs."

"It hadn't been like that at the beginning," Sasuke admitted. "I had thought that they were one of the many natives to the land and stayed out of their way, lest I insult one of them or something like that. It was like that for about two years or so. Then I saw a band of them attack a small village, taking children hostage. I did nothing when it happened and then, I saw the looks of sadness and horror on the faces of the parents whose children were taken. I don't why, but I tracked the band down, killed them, and brought the children back to the village. I watched in silence as the children ran back to their parents, becoming engulfed in hugs by them, who openly wept in joy. After that, I kept finding more and more bands of orcs who had taken children and I went after them."

"And you rescued the children because it was the right thing to do?"

He paused for a moment, thinking it over. "Perhaps," he finally conceded. "But I did it more because so those parents would never have to fear for their children."

"Ah, now that is a good reason," the hobbit praised him.

"Yeah, it is." He stood up, feeling an uncomfortable feel. "Forgive me, I should go." He left the elder hobbit, only to run into the younger four nearby.

"Hello there, I'm Pippin and this is Merry!" the aforementioned hobbit introduced himself and the hobbit standing beside him. "That was something down in the courtyard."

"Pippin, I can introduce myself," the other hobbit said with a scowl on his face.

Sasuke didn't pay attention to them. Instead, he turned his attention to the dark-haired hobbit. "How are you?" he asked him.

Frodo was surprised to hear such a question from the man the elves called Crabandir. "I am better," he answered. "They say that you were the one who let Lady Arwen time to get to Rivendell."

"Aye, that was me." He kept looking at him until the hobbit who hadn't spoken stepped in between them. "And who are you? His yojimbo?" he asked. When he saw the odd look, he clarified. "It means bodyguard in my language."

"I'm his gardener," Sam told him.

He didn't say anything for a long moment. He just stared at the two of them, regarding them silently. "A very loyal gardener, I see," he finally spoke.

"Where are you from?" Pippin asked him, curiosity coloring his voice. "Not from Middle-Earth, I think."

"You would be right. I'm from Southern-Earth." It wasn't the actual name of his former home, but it was enough to satisfy them. "If you wish to speak to your uncle, he's back there," he told Frodo, gesturing behind him. He walked past and away from the four hobbits, keeping his pace quick.

It took all of his willpower to not break out into a run or to flee Rivendell right then and there. But when he finally stopped walking, someone else found him. "Are you always in a hurry to go nowhere, Crabandir?" asked an old man he remembered the other elves calling Gandalf.

"What's it to you, old man?" he asked rather rudely.

The Wizard just smiled kindly at him. "I am just curious, that's all. You've been a stranger to us for the past ten years and yet, you are here and invited by Lord Elrond to attend his council. Some might wonder what you said to have been given that honor."

"I said nothing. He was surprised to hear of my ancestry and believes that I'll help somehow." He looked at the grey robed man. "You knew my more recent ancestor." It wasn't a question nor was it an accusation. It was a statement of fact.

Gandalf didn't deny it. In fact, he nodded his head. "Yes. Actually, I was among the first of the people in Middle-Earth to meet Madara and had introduced him to Thorin while the Company was being formed. He was the only one who acted polite when they all met at Bag End, although he kept looking for a place to put his sandals. We never did find out why he kept doing that whenever we had found a house that had people living in it." He was reminiscing by the time he got to that last part. But he also sounded curious.

Thankfully for him, Sasuke had the answer to that. "In our land, it is considering rude to walk around a house with ones sandals or boots on, especially if you are a guest in the house." He actually had that problem when he was first wandering around Middle-Earth. But he figured out quick enough that people didn't find it so.

"Really?" asked the Grey Wizard. "How is it rude?"

He gave him a leveled look. "Would you want to clean up the mud tracks left by a guest who had just come in from the rain?" It was an answer every child knew, just not here.

"…Hmm, I see. But returning to your ancestor, I had thought he was a fine man, if not a little troubled." He gazed at Sasuke. "You seem to disagree and yet, you seem to be similar to him."

The last Uchiha winced slightly when he heard those words. "Uchiha Madara is not positively known where I'm from, not even by his own clan." Now that he thought about it, that was probably the same for him now too. _"I wonder if they are afraid of me as they were of Madara."_

"Nevertheless, he was a good friend who proved to be a valuable ally, just as his ancestor was with the Last Alliance."

He narrowed his eyes. "So you knew him too."

"Nothing of the sort," Gandalf replied. "My order came to Middle-Earth during the Third Age. The War of the Last Alliance ended the Second Age. It was Lord Elrond who told me of him later on. Both he and Madara helped the Free Peoples of Middle-Earth in their most perilous of times and now, you are here."

"I am here," he repeated. "Although the wrong line has been here, if truth be told," he muttered to himself. If anything, it should've been Asura, Hashirama, and Naruto here to do these things. The fact that it was _his_ ancestors was truly confusing. Why were they here? _"Why are you here?"_ a small part of himself asked back.

While he was musing, Gandalf had heard his mutter. "You may think that your ancestors did not need to be here, but they were here and they have done good things. And I believe that you will be the same," he told Crabandir.

"You have faith…in me?" the raven-haired man asked before barking out a laugh. "No one is their right mind should have faith in me. You and Lord Elrond are fools to think otherwise."

The Wizard smiled gently, somehow reminding him of the Sandaime Hokage. "Perhaps," he said. "Or perhaps it is you who has lost faith in yourself. Perhaps what is to come will restore your faith."

Now those words had really confused Sasuke. So much that he stood silently while Gandalf had left. Had he lost faith in himself? When Elrond showed his faith in him and Bilbo praised him, he did not feel right. He felt hesitant and nervous, even wanting to flee, all because they had felt that he was a good man. _"You're not a good man, you should know that by now,"_ that same part of him who had spoken before reminded him.

It was true, despite what people in these lands might think. He was not a good man. He hadn't been a good man since he left Konoha for Orochimaru. He wasn't even sure if he knew if he could be a good man again. _"Then again, Indra and Madara were not good men, yet they have done good deeds."_ That was most certainly true (more for Madara then Indra). But was that the reason they came here? So they could do one good deed in their lives? He started walking again, thinking that question over.

* * *

><p>In the days that followed, that question fell to the back of his mind while he focused on reading up on the information and keeping his body trained. But he now also spent time with the four young hobbits, whether willingly or not (the not part usually came when Pippin came barging into the library to find him). Surprisingly, he found himself enjoying their company. They reminded him of days when he was younger and things were a lot less complicated, when he had a home and family. But with that, there also came moments of exasperation at Pippin and Merry and wondering if Itachi felt the same about him.<p>

Yet, not even Pippin and Merry were invited to join the council once the last delegate had arrived at Rivendell. It was only two days after that the council had convened. They all sat in a courtyard, overlooking a small hill with foliage on it. The chairs they sat in were arranged in a half-circle, so they could all look at one another evenly. In front of them sat a stone pedestal with nothing on it.

Standing opposite of the half-circle was Lord Elrond and his attendants. As it was his council, he was the one to begin it. "Strangers of distant lands, friends of old, you've been summoned to answer the threat of Mordor," he began (Sasuke had a feeling that first bit was directed him). "Middle-Earth stands on the brink of destruction. None can escape it. You will unite or you will fall." He looked at all who were there. "Each race is bound to this fate, this one doom." He turned his attention to the only hobbit who sat amongst them. "Bring forth the Ring, Frodo," he told the hobbit, gesturing to the pedestal.

Frodo stood up from his seat and walked to the pedestal, knowing full well that all the eyes there were on him. His right hand felt heavy as he walked, but he didn't stop. And when he placed the Ring on the pedestal, everyone began to whisper amongst themselves. "So, it is true," Boromir, a man from Gondor, whispered to himself.

Sasuke was quiet as he examined the Ring. It was a rather common looking ring, he had seen rings that had been more elegant or gaudy (depending on the design, how it was worn, and who was wearing). He had to admit that it did look perfect in its circular design and he was fairly certain that he had never seen a gold ring shine like that in the sun before. _"Wait, are those my thought?"_ he asked himself.

A noise to his side led him to see Boromir stand up from his seat. He had seen the Captain-General of Minas Tirith a few times during his years in Middle-Earth, but he had never met the man. It was always from afar and usually not that long. But now, he was here and he was speaking. "In a dream," he began. "I saw the Eastern sky grow dark. But in the West a pale light lingered." As he spoke, he slowly walked towards the pedestal. "A voice was crying, 'Your doom is at hand. Isildur's Bane is found.'" He reached the pedestal with a hand reaching out. "Isildur's Bane…" His voice was full of fear, but also longing.

"Boromir!" shouted out Lord Elrond as he stood up from his chair, trying to stop him.

But Gandalf beat him to it. **"Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul!"** the Wizard began chanting as he stood up from his chair, his voice becoming deeper and angrier. As he chanted, the sky darkened and the earth rumbled. Another voice spoke as he did, one that held much evil and sounded pleased that it could speak. The elves looked like they were in pain because of the second voice; closing their eyes and seeming willing it to stop speak. The dwarves had grabbed their axes and looked around for someone to fight while the men looked on worryingly (as did Frodo). **"Ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul!"** finished Gandalf, having drove Boromir back into his seat.

As the sky lightened and the earth went still, Elrond turned to look at the Grey Wizard. "Never before had anyone uttered words of that tongue here in Imladris!" he said angrily and sharply.

Sasuke wasn't exactly sure what had just happened. He had assumed that was spoken was the language of Mordor, having read about it. But what caught him by surprise that when Gandalf had begun chanting and the second voice had joined, his left hand began to burn, like it had been set ablaze. It was all he could do not to grab hold of it or cry out in pain.

"I do not ask your pardon, Master Elrond," Gandalf told him. "For the Black Speech of Mordor may yet be heard in every corner of the West!" he said to all those who were there. "The Ring is altogether evil!" He turned to go back to his seat, sitting down in it just as Elrond did in his own.

But Boromir was not done. "It is a gift! A gift to the foes of Mordor," he declared as he stood up once again from his chair. "Why not use this Ring?" He looked at everyone there. "Long has my father, the Steward of Gondor, kept the forces of Mordor at bay. By the blood of our people are your lands kept safe. Give Gondor the weapon of the enemy, let us use it against him!" he urged them all.

"You cannot wield it. None of us can," the man the hobbits knew as Strider told him, getting his attention. "The One Ring answers to Sauron alone. It has no other master."

"And what would a Ranger know of this matter?" he challenged.

To Sasuke's surprise, it was one of the elves who came to the Ranger's defense. "This is no mere Ranger," he told Boromir, standing up from his chair. "He is Aragorn, son of Arathorn. You owe him your allegiance."

The Captain-General of Gondor looked at the Ranger with surprise in his eyes and on his face. "Aragorn?" he repeated. "This is Isildur's heir?"

"And heir to the Throne of Gondor," the elf proclaimed.

When he heard that news, Sasuke observed the now named Aragorn. He had read of Isildur and had studied the paintings Rivendell had of him. He knew full well that his ancestor and Isildur were supposedly good friends, just as good as Indra and Elrond were, and he knew that Isildur was the one who kept the One Ring after defeating Sauron. Now, his descendent sat in the council of Elrond and all eyes were on him.

He looked more than a little uncomfortable with the fact his heritage was revealed. "Havo dad, Legolas," he told the elf. While Sasuke did not understand what he had said, he could understand the meaning, especially when the elf sat down.

"Gondor has no King," Boromir declared to the elf. He turned his gaze upon Aragorn. "Gondor needs no King." He went back to his chair and sat down.

"Aragorn is right. We cannot use it," Gandalf said.

"You have only one choice," Elrond said as he stood up from his chair. "The Ring must be destroyed."

That caused a bit of stir among those who were attending. "Then what are we waiting for?" Gimli demanded. He stood up from his chair, grabbed his axe, and before anyone could stop him, swung it down at the Ring.

But the axe shattered upon impact and the dwarf was sent flying back to the ground. In the second of the axe actually hitting the Ring, Sasuke felt another lance of fire in his left arm again and he also noticed that Frodo had visibly flinched. Glóin and another dwarf went to Gimli's side to see that he was alright, but his eyes were focused on the smoking pedestal, where the Ring still sat amongst the remains of his axe.

"The Ring cannot be destroyed, Gimli, son of Glóin, by any craft we here possess," Elrond told the dwarf as he got back up and sat in his chair. "The Ring was made in the fires of Mount Doom. Only there can it be unmade. It must be taken deep into Mordor and cast back into the fiery chasm from whence it came." He looked at all of them there. "One of you…must do this."

The entire council was silent as they went over this prospect. It was a dangerous thing, to be sure. "One does not simply walk into Mordor," Boromir said aloud. "Its Black Gates are guarded by more than just orcs. There is evil there that does not sleep and the Great Eye is ever watchful. Tis a barren wasteland, riddled with fire and ash and dust. The very air you breathe is a poisonous fume. Not with ten thousand men could you do this." He shook his head as he spoke those last words. "It is folly."

"Have you heard nothing Lord Elrond just said!?" Legolas demanded as he stood up from his chair. "The Ring must be destroyed!"

"And I suppose you think you're the one to do it?" Gimli challenged the elf from where he sat.

"And if we fail what then?" Boromir demanded, standing up from his chair. "What happens when Sauron takes back what is his?"

The dwarf didn't seem to hear his question, as he leapt from his chair and stared defiantly at Legolas. "I will be dead before I see the Ring in the hands of an elf!" he declared.

That got everyone to leap up from their chairs and begin shouting at one another. Even Gandalf joined in after a second of hesitation. "Do you not understand that while we bicker amongst ourselves, Sauron's power grows?! None can escape it! You'll be destroyed!" the Wizard shouted as he stood up from his seat and joined the argument.

The only people who still sat in their chairs were Elrond, Sasuke, and Frodo. And while the first two could only watch the shouting go on, the third's gaze was fixed on the Ring. As he saw all those who were arguing in the metal of the Ring, he saw a fire consume them all. To his ears only, he heard it whisper those words again and again.

"**Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul. Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul. Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul! Ash nazg durbatulûk, ash nazg gimbatul, ash nazg thrakatulûk, ash burzum-ishi krimpatul! ASH NAZG DURBATULÛK, ASH NAZG GIMBATUL, ASH NAZG THRAKATULÛK, ASH BURZUM-ISHI KRIMPATUL!"**

Over and over again, he heard those words whisper growing louder and louder. He felt like there was nothing he could do. That he should give up and run. But when he saw those flames seemingly engulf the people there, all the Elves, Dwarves, and Men who stood there fighting amongst themselves, the single Hobbit there cast one defiant thought at the Ring. _"No."_

And it was enough for him to find his courage and strength. "I will take it," he declared, standing up from his seat. But none of them heard him. "I will take it!" he said again, louder this time. "I will take the Ring to Mordor." The shouting and arguing dead as they all stared at him with surprise in their eyes. "Though, I do not the way," he admitted.

It was Gandalf who spoke first. "I will help you bear this burden, Frodo Baggins, as long it is yours to bear," he said, walking forward and placing a gentle hand on the hobbit's shoulder.

Aragorn, who had stayed out of the arguing, stood up from his seat. "If by my life or death I can protect you, I will," he declared. He walked toward Frodo and took a knee. "You have my sword."

"And you have my bow," Legolas declared, walking forward as well.

"And my axe!" Gimli declared, joining them. The elf of the two didn't exactly look happy about that.

For a moment, it would look like no one else would join them. Then Boromir spoke as he came forward. "You carry the fate of us all, little one." He stopped and looked at Elrond. "If this is indeed the will of the Council, then Gondor will see it done."

A shout came from behind a couple of bushes and Sam appeared from behind those bushes, running up to Frodo's side. "Mister Frodo not going anywhere without me," he declared.

"_A loyal gardener indeed,"_ Sasuke thought to himself.

"No, indeed it is hardly possible to separate you," Lord Elrond remarked. "Even when he is summoned to a secret council and you are not!"

"Wait! We're coming too!" Merry shouted from behind him. When he turned around with a look of surprise on his face, he saw the two other hobbits running in and joining the group. "You'd have to send us home tied in a sack to stop us."

"Anyway, you need people of intelligence on this sort of mission…quest…thing," Pippin told the Lord of Rivendell. The way he said it made Gandalf shake his head in exasperation.

"Well that rules you out, Pip," Merry told him.

For the longest moment, no one said or did anything. That moment was gone when Sasuke finally stood from his seat, bringing all eyes onto him as he walked forward to Frodo. "I've heard Bilbo speak of how Madara protected each and every one of the Company and how they did the same for him," he spoke to the hobbit. "If you will have me, I will do the same as my ancestor did for your uncle." Frodo gave him a small nod, which he took as acceptance.

"Ten companions…" Elrond said as he looked at them all. "So be it! You shall be the Fellowship of the Ring!"

"Right!" said Pippin. "Where are we going?"

While everyone stared at him, Sasuke stared up at the sky. _"Kami, you've given me Naruto in Hobbit form,"_ he silently accused the deity. _"Do you hate me that much?"_

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

So there's a bit more history of Sasuke's clan involved with Middle-Earth then just him. For the record (and to get it out of the way), yes, there will be a prequel to this story concerning _The Hobbit_. That was one of the reasons why I started this one. As for Indra, he'll be covered in later chapters.

If you think that the spar was a little one-sided, you'd probably be right. After all Sasuke's been through, I think that sparring against two elves while also doing it blindfolded would be a bit of a walk in the park for him. But that doesn't mean he's the strongest in Middle-Earth, remember that.

If you think about it, Pippin is a little like Naruto. They think before they act, drive older people nuts, and yet they still have a good heart. Perhaps being around him will be good for Sasuke.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	3. The first steps

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 3: The first steps

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Rivendell)

Sasuke stood alone in his borrowed room, looking down at the borrowed bed. His arsenal lay upon the bed and he was doing an inspection of each and every weapon. It was a slow process, as he was thorough. After the Fellowship had been formed, they waited about three weeks before planning to leave. The reason for the delay was so an actual path to Mordor could be made and decoy parties to be sent to fool the Nazgûl and any orcs that were keeping an eye on Rivendell.

He took up a kunai and examined it carefully. Since coming to Middle-Earth, his original supply of kunai and shuriken had all been exhausted. So he had been forced to have blacksmiths from all over the lands forge him new ones when he ran out. The end result was kunai and shuriken of different forging techniques and metals. Some were just as good as any made in the Elemental Nations and some could be considered garbage but he couldn't afford to be picky.

The one in his hand was from Gondor, it showed in how the light gleamed against the metal. It was impressive work and he would even dare say that it rivaled Elemental work. But that would've been based against work ten years ago. Who knows what could've changed in that time? _"No use asking that question when there's no one who can answer it for you,"_ he told himself.

He put the kunai down and picked up a shuriken. This was most definitely not made in Gondor. He had it made in a village forge up in the North and he knew that weapon prudes (like Tenten) would've thought that it was best suited for cutting meat in a kitchen. Well, he didn't have the luxury of being able to pick the best. He took what he could get.

He kept his inspection going, examining each and every weapon to ensure there was no rust or any damage to the weapon. Once he was satisfied that there wasn't, he would put them away in the seals on his right wrist, like he had done when he fought Itachi for the last time. Once they were all in the seal, he wrapped a bandage around the wrist, as to prevent him or anyone else from accidently releasing the seal and getting a kunai or shuriken hurtled at them.

The only thing left on the bed now was his chokutō out of its sheath. He took the sword in his hand, grabbed the nearby whetstones, walked over to the small pool of water that served as a drinking fountain (to him, at least), and began to carefully sharpen the edge of his sword. He stood there, going through the motions that kept his blade sharp. It was a slow process, but a necessary one.

He lost track of time as he did this, but once he was sure that the edge of his blade was sharp he put the stones away. He grabbed the sheath and slid the sword home. Once he had it put through the belt he wore at his back, he angled it so it could be drawn quickly. There was only one more thing left in the room he needed and that rested on a hook.

He took the coat of the Akatsuki off of the hook and put it on himself. The repair work he did was good enough to fool people from a distance. But once they got close, they would be able to see where the tears had been fixed. But that didn't matter to him. All that matter was that he could wear it without getting a chill through any holes.

As he was about to leave the room and go to where the Fellowship would be waiting, he stopped at the door when his eyes looked on a small, red book. It was something that Bilbo had given him a few days previous. "I only had enough time to write one copy when I was done," the hobbit had told him when he placed the book on the table. "And the Elves most certainly helped me when I couldn't write. But I want you to have this."

"Why?"

He smiled when he heard that. "You should read about how your ancestor was a good man, like I had known him. He deserves that much."

Those words were what made him pause. He kept looking at the book, like he was trying to find its answers without even opening the cover. He knew that wasn't possible, but he still did it anyway. Finally giving up, he grabbed the book and walked out into Rivendell.

The courtyard where the Fellowship was supposed to meet was not far from the entrance to Rivendell. There were already a few gathered when he had arrived, mostly the hobbits, elf, and the Wizard of the group. He did not say anything in way of greeting to them. Instead, he just stood off to the side and waited in silence.

It was Gandalf who saw him first. "Welcome, Sasuke," the Wizard greeted him. "Are you prepared for what is to come?"

"Are you, old man?" he asked back.

He only smiled. But the hobbits had something to say. "Why do you keep calling him an old man?" Sam demanded of him.

"Because he is an old man," he answered. "Why would I call him anything else?"

"Why not call him Mr. Gandalf? That's polite."

"Do not trouble yourself, Samwise Gamgee," the Grey Wizard said to him. "For Sasuke is just like Madara in this aspect."

"What aspect?" Merry asked, curious to know.

"That if you want his respect, you must earn it," he answered the hobbit. He cast a look over at Sasuke, who only nodded once in confirmation. That was indeed the truth of it. He did not give respect freely and truthfully, very few people in recent times had earned it. Hell, he could count that number on his hands and would still fingers to spare.

"What's this about respect?" Gimli asked as he strode into the courtyard. Both he and Legolas were courteous to one another but still a little standoffish. Some of the Fellowship hoped that this would not last for the entire journey.

"We're just talking about you need to earn respect from Sasuke there," Pippin told him, gesturing to where the man was standing.

"Aye, I've heard my father talk about how Madara was the same." The dwarf turned to Sasuke. "This I can promise you, lad. I will do my best to earn your respect, as my father did with your ancestor."

All Sasuke said was, "We will see."

"Oh come on, there's no need to act so quiet and cold," the Took of the hobbits told him. "We're a Fellowship now, we're all friends here." Unbeknownst to him, both the dwarf and the elf shared an uneasy look with one another at those words. The enmity of Dwarves and Elves was something that had lasted long before the First Age and those who wished it to pass would be hard pressed to make it so.

The stranger to Middle-Earth just looked Pippin straight in the eye. "You and I have very different definitions of the word 'friend', Pippin," he said. His definition was much tighter and colored.

"But are we not friends?" Pippin asked him. He stayed silent because he did not have a definitive answer to that.

"Leave it alone, Pip," Merry told his friend. "You don't need to ask if we're friends if you already are, you know that."

Sasuke did not say anything in response to that. Instead he allowed his eyes to wander and find something else to talk about. He found it on Frodo. "Is that a new sword?" he asked the hobbit, getting the attention of everyone else.

"It's more like an old sword," Frodo answered, his hand going to the hilt of the sword and drawing it so everyone could see it. "This is Sting, the sword Bilbo found in the Troll cave."

"Ah, that's what he was planning to do with it," Gandalf said when he looked upon the sword. He had seen Bilbo checking the sword carefully in the days before today. Now he knew why.

When he saw the sword, Sasuke could see it was a beautiful blade. Where his weapons from Gondor gleamed in the light, this blade glowed subtly of silver when the light fell upon it. It had the vague shape of a leaf and the handle had silver linings in the shape of vines in it. On the blade was an inscription of Elvish that curved slightly to one end before going to the other end. He could not read the inscription, but that not of major importance.

"Can you wield it?" he asked Frodo.

"Of course I can."

"Then show me." He took a few steps forward into an open area of the courtyard and then turned to face the hobbit. "Attack me."

"What?" a surprised Frodo asked.

"I want to see how good you are. So attack me with your Sting."

He looked back at Gandalf, looking for guidance. The Wizard said nothing, which meant there would be no guidance. Seeing no other option (for he did not think Sasuke could be reasoned with at this moment), he stepped forward and hesitantly attacked the man.

But his attack didn't even make contact. When he raised his sword to strike, Sasuke moved forward and slammed the palm of his hand into his chest, pushing him back. "You're liable to end up dead in a fight if you hesitate like that," he told the hobbit. "Strike to kill me."

To his credit, Frodo did not say he couldn't do that. Instead, he came back at him with no hesitation. However, none of the hobbit's attack even touched the man. Sasuke could tell that he was an amateur with that sword. All he had to do was stay out of its path and he could do that by twisting and turning his body.

This went on for another minute and Frodo never once struck him. Sasuke finally decided to end it and he did it by knocking the hobbit off of his feet, sending him onto his back. "You need training," he declared as he held him down with his hand. He kept the hold for only a second before releasing it and stepping back. He looked at the other three hobbits. Merry and Pippin looked at him with awe but Sam looked like he wanted to attack him.

"What goes on here?" Boromir asked as he entered the courtyard, ready to leave.

Sasuke looked over at him. "I was proving a point to the hobbits. They might wield weapons, but they don't know how to use them."

"That can be easily rectified."

"Good. Then you can take care of it," he declared, walking away from Frodo.

The Captain-General amongst them was caught off guard by the declaration but that would not stop him. If there were people who needed to be trained to handle a sword, he would gladly help. So all he did was nod in response.

"I think you've managed to annoy Master Gamgee over there," Gimli remarked to Sasuke, looking over at the hobbit in question, who did have a look of annoyance on his face.

"All I did was show how new they are to swords," Crabandir said in reply. "And it's good that he's annoyed with me."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"It shows that he cares and looks out for Frodo. If this Fellowship is going to work, we should all follow his example of dedication and loyalty." If they didn't have that, they would not last long.

"Hmm, you do have a point there," the dwarf admitted. They stayed silent as they waited for the last member of the Fellowship to arrive. But Gimli broke the silence again. "Lad, about that left arm of yours."

"What about it?" Sasuke asked him.

"How is that you can move it around like nothing is wrong with it when it should've been lopped off?"

"Why would I lop off a perfectly good arm?" That made no sense to him and he let it show on his face.

"A perfectly good arm?" repeated Gimli. "Lad, the only thing I can think of for you to have that arm covered in bandages is that it was burned by dragonfire!" When he said that, the question of how only his left arm was burned came to mind, but he put that down to how fast the lad could move.

Sasuke gave him a long stare before finally looking away. "My arm isn't this way because it was burned; it's this way because the power it held was sealed." He left it at that, walking away so the dwarf couldn't ask any more question.

Aragorn soon arrived after that and all the Fellowship was there. Now, they made their way to the gate of Rivendell, where a small ceremony would take place. Lord Elrond and a delegation of elves were already waiting for them, letting them gather at the gate in silence. Once they were there, Elrond stepped forward. "The Ringbearer is setting out on the quest of Mount Doom," he began. "And you who travel with him, no oath nor bond is laid to go further than you will."

"_Maybe not for them,"_ Sasuke thought to himself, looking subtly at the rest of the Fellowship. He was quite the different matter.

"Farewell," the Lord of Rivendell told them. "Hold to your purpose and may the blessings of elves, and men, and all free folk go with you."

"The Fellowship awaits the Ringbearer," Gandalf declared solemnly from where he stood. Frodo, who had stood before Elrond in front of the Fellowship, turned and walked toward the gate, taking the lead. The Wizard amongst them followed him and so did the rest of the Fellowship. Both Sasuke and Aragorn took the rear and followed everyone else, although Aragorn looked one last time at Arwen before leaving.

* * *

><p>The rest of the day (for they had left early in the morning) was spent traveling. They had a long way to go and their destination would not come to them. No one really said anything as they left Rivendell behind and that kept on as they made their way through the lands nearby. To Sasuke's surprise, the hobbits didn't complain about how bored they were or how tired. They kept walking while Sam led the pack pony they had brought with them.<p>

By the time the sun had begun to set, they were well deep in the forest. They had found a clearing large enough to suit their needs and wasted no time in making camp. Once the fire was going, Boromir stood up and had the hobbits stand as well. "Take out your swords," he told them as he stepped away from the fire so that they could have more room.

The four hobbits did as they were told and Boromir began instructing them in how to use their swords. While they practiced, the rest sat in silence. Those who had pipes had them out, puffing out smoke from their mouths. "Do you want one, lad?" Gimli asked Sasuke after taking a puff. "I've got a spare." He pulled out said spare for him to see.

"I don't smoke," he answered shortly, waving it away. He knew enough Katon jutsus to set a large forest ablaze; he didn't need smoke added to it. Instead, he kept his focus on the food cooking on the fire. He had been reading the book but when Sam started practicing, he kept watch over the food.

"Keep your guard up, Sam!" Aragorn called out to the hobbit that was currently practicing with Boromir. He must've heard the man because he instantly kept his guard up. Boromir went down when the guard went up and he had Sam pinned in only two moves.

"You have to be able to react quickly," the man from Gondor told the hobbit after withdrawing his sword.

"I understand, Mister Boromir," Sam said to him.

"Merry, your turn," he said to Merry, who moved to attack. The clearing ringed with the sounds of practice.

"I hope the hobbits will get better," Legolas said as he watched the practice continue.

"It is only the first day, Legolas," Gandalf told him reassuringly. "They will get better as we continue on this journey."

"It could be worse. They could be trained by an elf right now," Gimli remarked with a smirk on his lips.

That could've led to opening up the old feud again, but the elf in question just smiled. "Would it be any worse than being trained by a dwarf?" he asked in reply.

Before there could be any reply, Sasuke whipped his head away from the fire and stared off into the forest. "What is it?" Aragorn asked him, taking his pipe from his mouth.

"We're not alone out here," he said. "There's another camp that way." He gestured in the direction that he was looking at. Legolas did the same and saw the flicker of light through the trees.

"Perhaps they are travelers on the road like us?" Pippin suggested, having heard the conversation. Both Boromir and Merry had stopped their practice too and looked over at the fire. While everyone's gaze was at where Sasuke was looking, the wielders of both Glamdring and Sting noticed that their swords glowed blue.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." He stood up from where he had sat. "I'm going to go check it out."

"We will come with you," Gimli declared, standing up and grabbing his axe.

But he shook his head. "Aragorn and Legolas can come, the rest of you stay put." The man and elf stood up when they heard their names and grabbed their weapons.

"What? Why the elf and not me?" the dwarf demanded, a little angry at the rejection.

"I trust him to not make any noise when we investigate. You would make noise," Sasuke said shortly, walking into the forest with Aragorn and Legolas following him.

Their walk did not take them long to find the other camp. But while the said camp did have travelers, it was not the kind of travelers one would want to meet while on the road. No, this camp was full of orcs. As the three of them hid in the forest and look on at the camp, Legolas looked at Sasuke. "It is quite fortunate that you spotted them, Crabandir."

"Luck and I do not really know each other," he said shortly. _"It does, however, know Naruto very well."_ He did not want to count the number of times that blonde had gotten lucky with something.

"Still your tongues, they are speaking," Aragorn told the two of them. The two fell silent and listened to what the orcs had to say.

"How long are we going to be out here?" one of the orcs demanded as he ripped a chunk of meat off the bone he was holding.

"We're out here until our Master commands otherwise, maggot," the biggest orc there told him with a snarl in his voice. "Ask a stupid question like that again and I'll rip your guts out."

The first orc spat at the fire in response. "Like you actually could do that," he said.

A bone flew through the air and struck him in the head, knocking him out. "Anyone want to question what our orders are?" The biggest orc demanded, looking around the camp. None of the remaining orcs dared to even look him in the eye. "I thought not." He eyed the unconscious orc. "One of you lot wake his ass up," he ordered. "If he doesn't wake, eat him."

Sasuke had a small look of disgust at those words. "They would eat one of their own?" he asked quietly. In hindsight, he really shouldn't have been surprised by that.

"Orcs can and will do far worse than that," Aragorn assured him as they watched another of the orcs walk over to the unconscious one and kicked his body hard a few times.

The unconscious orc came too and responded to the kick by drawing a knife and plunging it into the kicking orc's thigh, making him hiss in pain. "That's for kicking me," the now conscious orc said.

It looked the two of them were about to fight, only for the big orc to get their attention with a loud, "Oi!" They looked over at him. "If you want to kill each other, do it on your own time, not when the Master wants us to do a good job."

"What's the job, anyway?" another orc demanded. "It's not one of those 'napping kids missions, is it?"

"What did you think we're out here for? Of course we're taking kids!"

"We're going to be dead once we take those runts! Blood Eyes will hunt us down and kill us!"

"There's no such thing! Now shut up before I tear your head off!" That threat made any other orc that wanted to say something stop and go back to their meal.

Legolas and Aragorn turned away from the fire and looked at one another. "We cannot let them go through with this," the elf between the two of them declared.

"I agree. We should head back to the rest of the Fellowship and get their aide," Aragorn said. But before they could do something, they noticed that Sasuke was not with them.

In fact, the young man had already walked out of the forest and into the clearing of orcs, getting their attention. "Who the fuck are you?" the big orc demanded. Sasuke didn't say anything. He was too busy mentally counting the number of orcs there.

"_Hmm, about thirty,"_ he thought to himself once he was done with the count.

"I asked you a question, you filthy maggot!"

"No one of consequence," he finally answered the big orc.

That just made the orc grin nastily. "Then you won't mind if we make use of you." He looked at one of the orcs. "Kill him! We're going to have man-flesh once we're done with him!"

The orc he ordered stood up from where he was crouching and grabbed an ugly-looking axe. He charged straight at the man, who only stood there and did nothing. Both Aragorn and Legolas had their bows out with arrows nocked and trying to get a good aim on the orc. But when they did, he was finally upon Sasuke, his axe raised high.

It was in that moment did the man, taking one step to the side when the axe swung down and missed him completely. In the second it took for him to step to the side, he had drawn his sword out from his coat and beheaded the orc in one clean stroke. Silence reigned in the clearing as the body of the now dead orc crashed to the ground.

"What the fuck!?" one of the orcs cried out.

"How did he do that?" another demanded, unaware that he was sharing a thought with a nearby elf and man.

"Who cares?" the big orc rhetorically asked before shoving another orc at the man, who was just standing there with an open blade. "Kill him!"

All the orcs there took that as the order it was. They all charged at the man with weapons at the ready, coming with the intent to kill. But they never would've been able to realize that intent, because the man met their charge and attacked them.

His sword either met the weapons wielded by the orcs, preventing them from striking him, or cutting through the shafts, making the weapon completely useless (for those who were wielding axes or spears). Once he had made the weapon useless, he also killed the orc holding it. While all this happened, he kept moving and kept his eyes opened.

His tactics were working, as the big orc was getting frustrated. "What the hell's matter with you lot?" he demanded of the orcs he commanded. "It's just one man! This should be an easy meal for you lot!"

"We can't hit him!" one of the orcs who was actually fighting told him. "He just keeps moving around!"

"Wait!" another orc said. "Look at his eyes." He was stabbed through the heart barely a second after he said those words

But the other orcs had heard him and they looked closely at the man they were trying to kill, staring at his eyes every time they swung at him. They soon realized what the dead orc had meant. "It's Blood Eyes!" an orc cried out in fear when he saw those eyes.

"There's no such person!" the big orc roared at them. "Kill him already!"

Despite his continued orders to do so, the attacking orcs were more likely to end dead then successfully kill the man. They seemed to die with each swing of the man's sword now. They were dying in rapid succession and the ones that remained were more hesitant to actually try and attack him.

But they still attack and they were killed all the same. What was truly frightening for them was not the man's eyes (which was where their little nickname had originated from), but the fact that the man's face had no expression at all. It was completely emotionless and revealed nothing. While orcs were not the brightest creatures around (unless bred specifically for that), they knew that there should always be an expression on a person's face when they were fighting.

But this one did not and they were killed all the same. When the last attacking orc fell to the earth dead, the man the orcs knew as Blood Eyes stood in the middle of twenty nine orc corpses. "That's impossible!" the big orc kept saying as he looked at all those who used to be under his command lay dead on the ground. "There's no such person as Blood Eyes. He's a myth. That's all he is, a myth."

"Can a myth do this?" Sasuke asked him, pulling out a kunai and throwing it at the big orc in the space of a second. It buried itself in his forehead, which bled hard as he fell dead to the ground.

Both Aragorn and Legolas came out of the forest with impressed looks on their faces (Legolas less so then Aragorn). But they both stopped when Sasuke looked at them and they saw his eyes. "By the Valar, what has happened to your eyes?" Aragorn asked him.

Sasuke knew what they were seeing, blood-red eyes with three black tomoe encircling the pupil. "They are a gift that has been passed down through my bloodline," he answered shortly, deactivating them. It was enough of an explanation for the moment, but he had a feeling that one of them would press the issue once they got back to their own camp.

He wasn't disappointed. As soon as they got back to camp, Aragorn and Legolas filled the rest of the Fellowship in on what he did. While Gandalf, Gimli, and Legolas seemed to have knowing looks in their eyes (he wasn't sure how the elf knew), the men and hobbits just had questioning looks. "How is it that you have such a power?" Boromir asked him.

"It's not uncommon to have such a thing in my land," he answered. He knew that if he didn't explain at least some of it, they would either not let it drop or not trust him. "Many clans have what is called a Kekkei Genkai, an ability that only members of the clan can use. For the Uchiha clan, our Kekkei Genkai is called the **Sharingan**." He activated them so the rest of the Fellowship could see them.

As they gazed upon the transformed eyes, those who had seen them before felt a little unsettled by them (those who had were less so). "So…um…" Pippin tried to say, trying to avoid looking directly at the eyes (which he wasn't doing a good job of). "Do they do anything else, besides look menacing?"

Sasuke stared at him for a long moment, letting him see both of the eyes. "They allow me to anticipate and analyze the motions of my opponent, picking up on the subtle things about a person."

"Like what?"

"For instance, it would allow me to read lips when I cannot hear the person actually speaking, thus allowing me to know what he was saying. It would also allow me to pick up the small things that would tell me a person is lying."

The hobbit made an impressed sound in the back of his throat. "That would be a useful thing to have on Market Day, especially for the ones who try to cheat you."

Sam looked horrified at that thought. "They don't do that!" he protested.

"They don't do it to you, Sam," Merry clarified for him. "The farmers all love you. It's us they don't like."

"I wonder why that is," Gandalf remarked, looking at Merry and Pippin. "Would the reason be that on one Market Day, the two of you took a wheelbarrow and tried to either con the farmers into giving you their mushrooms for free or just outright stealing them?"

The two hobbits couldn't even look at the Wizard when he asked them that question. On the other hand, when Frodo heard the question and saw their reaction, he looked at them. "That was you two?" he asked them.

"I believe that we are getting off topic," Boromir said, looking at the man called Crabandir. "When you said anticipate, what did you mean by that?"

He stood up from where he sat and gesture for the man from Gondor to do the same. "Draw your sword and attack me," he told Boromir once they had a little distance away from the fire. The Captain-General did as he was asked and begun his attack. "Stop," Sasuke told him when his sword-bearing arm was above his head. "With my **Sharingan**, I would've seen you in this position when you would've begun to attack; giving me enough time to counter and rendered it ineffective."

"Such a thing would be useful when one is fighting against only one," his faux-opponent conceded. "But surely it would not work in a battle where you have multiple enemies attacking you."

He only smirked at that. "When I watch you make your move, time slows down for me, letting me see each attack." The only time that had been used against was when he tried to capture Killer Bee, but he wasn't going to tell them that. He was also not sure if it would be the same outcome if the two fought again (but that wasn't a big question, because he knew it would not happen).

"That is a most impressive weapon," Gimli declared. He had heard his father speak of Madara's abilities in battle but that was all. Glóin never explained how it was like that. Now, his son suspected that he didn't get this explanation during the Company's journey.

"That's not all the **Sharingan** can do," Sasuke told him. It was better for them to know then ask questions later.

"What else is there?" Sam asked, curious to know.

"Boromir, attack me again," he told the man from Gondor, drawing his own sword.

They exchanged blows, filling the clearing with the sound metal clashing against metal again. But unlike when Boromir was practicing with the hobbits, the sounds came faster and harder. Yet, despite his efforts, Boromir could not get past Sasuke's guard. His eyes that almost seemed to glow red away from the light of the fire stayed focused on him. They never wavered and he found that he could not look away.

At some point during the spar, the Captain-General saw that the moves Sasuke was using looked familiar, _very_ familiar. It came to him when he saw his opponent twisted his sword in such a way that only someone familiar with the style could do it. "When did you learn how to fight like one of the Tower Guard?" he asked when their blades were locked together.

"I didn't," Sasuke answered, breaking the lock and stepping back. "I was copying you. What the **Sharingan** is most famous for is that when the wielder uses it to copy any skill or technique they see. I began fighting like a Tower Guard because you were fighting like one and I saw your movements," he explained to them all, sheathing his sword and going back to the fire.

"Isn't that thieving?" Legolas asked him.

"Aye, it is," he admitted. "That was one of the many reasons why enemy shinobi treaded lightly with facing an Uchiha, lest their own skillset be used against them."

"And yet, no weapon is without its weak points, I'm sure," Gandalf said with a knowing smile.

The raven-haired man cast a look at the Grey Wizard. _"How much does he actually know?"_ he asked himself. "I wouldn't say weak point, more like drawback. The **Sharingan** can't copy another Kekkei Genkai. And even if one copies a technique, they need the ability to use it. If I used it to copy how a strong man might carry away a fallen tree, I would still need the strength to pick up and carry the tree."

"But don't you have a lot of people calling your family thieves and whatnot?" Sam asked. He knew he would if that happened to him.

Sasuke stayed quiet for a moment before finally speaking. "…In the Shinobi world, you must and will take any and all opportunities to survive. It only takes one mistake to end up dead, even more so there." A small smile that seemed bittersweet appeared on his face. "As for being called thieves, people were more inclined to look at my clan with fear and respect then accuse us of that. We were a powerful clan, once."

"Once?" repeated Pippin. "You mean something changed?"

"Yes, something changed. And because of that change, I am now the last Uchiha." Some days, he wondered if it was better to let it stay like that.

The hobbit looked like he was going to ask another question when Frodo stopped him. "Pippin, if he does not wish to tell us what happened; it is not our place to ask him. He was already generous enough to explain how his eyes work."

"Thank you, Frodo," he said to the hobbit, giving him a look of gratitude. He was a little surprise to hear someone say that, for he assumed that they would never stop asking the questions. The attention was then directed from to the food on the fire. Everyone took some and tucked in. No more questions were asked that night.

* * *

><p>The following day their journey began again and continued for many days. As they traveled, they went to higher and higher heights. As they went higher, the land around them slowly turned from heavily wooded forests to flatland with bushes and then to high hills with large clusters of rocks. They even went passed a ruin or two in their journey.<p>

They all knew what the plan was. They were to stick close to the west side of the Misty Mountains while traveling south. Once they reached the Gap of Rohan, they would swing east through it and head straight for Mordor. It sounded a little simple for a plan to Sasuke, but he also realized it was like that so it could change at any moment. The Gap of Rohan did bring them close to Isengard and since Saruman had gone over to the side of Sauron, things might become complicated once they got there.

But that wasn't an immediate problem for the Fellowship, as they had yet to even reach the Gap. They were still traveling south at the beginnings of the Misty Mountains. But that came to an abrupt end one day. They stopped to take a break around a large cluster of rocks and decided to have lunch. While Sam cooked, Boromir practiced with Merry and Pippin. Both Aragorn and Frodo watched from where they sat.

"Move your feet," Aragorn told Pippin, who was currently the one blocking Boromir's sword strikes. They came faster, but the hobbit was able to block them.

"That's good, Pippin," Merry complemented his friend, standing beside him with his sword in hand.

"Thanks," Pippin said in reply.

"Faster!" Boromir told them, turning his blade onto Merry. The hobbit was a little surprised and so, his blocks were awkward to begin with. But that disappeared quickly enough.

While they trained, both Legolas and Sasuke kept watch on different ends of the makeshift camp. Gandalf sat on a rock with a pipe in hand. "If anyone was to ask my opinion, which I note they are not, I'd say we were taking the long way," Gimli declared after looking at the path they were to travel. He turned around to look at the Wizard in the Fellowship. "Gandalf, we could pass through the Mines of Moria. My cousin Balin would give us a royal welcome."

Gandalf knew what the dwarf was talking about. Forty-eight years after the Lonely Mountain had been retaken and Thorin had fallen in the Battle of the Five Armies, Balin had taken a small number of dwarves, including Ori and Gimli's own uncle, Óin, to retake Moria. There had been news of some success, but that was all and he felt fearful of what would happen in that ancient kingdom, having gone to Saruman when he was still an ally. The White Wizard agreed with his fears and the Grey Wizard could still see him looking upon a book, his words floating in the air.

"_The dwarves delved too greedily and too deep. You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm: shadow and flame."_

"No, Gimli," he finally said. "I would not take the road to Moria unless I had no other choice." Gimli was disappointed, but only a little. He could understand the Wizard's unease about the suggestion. Meanwhile, Legolas movedto another spot in the camp to look that way, and he noticed something.

A sharp cry of pain filled the air as Boromir accidently struck Pippin's hand rather than his sword. But when he tried to check it, the hobbit kicked him in the leg. "Get him!" Merry cried as he and Pippin knocked him to the ground.

"For the Shire!" shouted Pippin as the two of them wrestled to keep their much larger opponent down. "Hold him, hold him down, Merry!" It wasn't a serious match as Boromir couldn't help but laugh when he fought them off.

Sasuke saw the so-called "fight" from where he was standing. _"They're acting like kids,"_ he thought to himself with a roll of his eyes. But he found it amusing too. It kinda reminded him of the days at the Academy. Things seemed much simpler then.

After watching the match, Aragorn decided to intervene. "Gentleman, that's enough," he declared, standing up and reaching for the hobbits. That only got him thrown to the ground when Merry and Pippin grabbed his legs and upended him.

Sasuke just watched in silence as he got back onto his feet and helped Boromir get the hobbits off of him. But when he turned his head, he saw Legolas and in turn, what the elf was seeing. _"What the hell?"_ He quickly went over to the elf's side to get a closer look, activating his **Sharingan** as he walked.

Sam saw him move, turned to see where he was going, and saw the same thing. "What is that?" he asked.

Gimli had seen it as well but was more dismissive of it. "Nothing, it's just a whisp of cloud," he declared.

"That 'whisp of cloud' is getting bigger and darker, Gimli," Sasuke told him.

Everyone else had now seen what was coming. "It's moving fast, against the wind," Boromir said with growing realization as he stood up again.

It only took Legolas a few more seconds to see what it was. "Crebain from Dunland!" he shouted for all to hear.

"_Shit!"_ Sasuke swore, already moving and deactivating his **Sharingan**. He had been in Dunland more times than once in his travels and he had seen those birds before. They had good eyes and from what reports he had read before they left Rivendell, Saruman had managed to get them to obey him.

"Hide!" Aragorn shouted for all to hear. "Frodo, Sam, take cover!" he called up to the two hobbits above as he grabbed his sword and ran for cover.

"Hurry!" urged Boromir as he too ran. All around the makeshift camp, the Fellowship were grabbing their things and then running for cover (Sam also took the time to rapidly pour water on the fire, extinguishing it). They had only barely made it to cover when the Crebain descended.

They all kept down and out of sight as the flock of black birds came screeching through the area. To Sasuke, who was crouching down against a curved rock, the noise reminded me of the sound the **Chidori** made. _"So that's what it sounds like on the receiving end,"_ he thought to himself. It was truly an intimidating sound, but it just made him applicate the fact that he knew how to use it.

For a minute, the flock hovered over the area before moving on. No one moved until they were sure that the Crebain were flying away. Once that was certain, they came back out into the open. "Spies of Saruman," Gandalf declared as he came out from behind the rock he was hiding behind. "The passage south is being watch." He looked at the rest of the Fellowship. "We must take the Pass of Caradhras," he told them.

Everyone looked up at the snow-capped mountains that stood in the distance. It was most likely going to be a dangerous route, more dangerous than the one they were originally taking. But they had no choice now.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Does it actually say in the books where the hobbits started learning from the books? Because I know they didn't cover that in the movies. That's why Boromir agreed to train them.

I know I said I was going to be drawing from the movies and not the books. I will amend that by stating that I will draw _some_ from the books, case in point, Sting and Glamdring. In the movies, only Sting glowed while in the books, it was both. Quite frankly, I think the books make a better answer. They both came from the same Age, why wouldn't they both glow?

Sasuke was going to have to explain his eyes sooner or later. But if you've noticed, he didn't give a complete explanation. There's more to come for the rest of the Fellowship.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	4. Up in the air, down in the rock

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 4: Up in the air, down in the rock

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Fellowship)

They had been climbing the mountain for two weeks now. They didn't reach any snow until the end of the first week. When they did, there was nothing but snow. On a good day, the snow would be only an inch or so thick and therefore would be easily walked over. But as they climbed, the good days soon became distant and the snow around them got larger and larger. What was worse was when the sun was shining brightly down on them, making the snow reflect the light.

"_If I had known I was going to be making my way through this kind of snow in this much light ten years ago, I would've brought sunglasses,"_ Sasuke grumbled silently as he climbed up the trail Gandalf had made from the front. Sure, he hadn't been afraid to climb some mountains since coming to Middle-Earth (for that was where the orc bands had usually tried to escape to) but never one this high.

A grunt of surprise and the sound of someone falling downhill made him turn around to see what was going on. Frodo had slipped on a small clump of snow and rolling down the trail. "Frodo!" said Aragorn as he caught the hobbit and got him back on his feet.

Frodo quickly wiped off the snow but noticed that the Ring was missing from around his neck. He saw that it, and the chain he carried it on, had fallen onto the snow beneath them. It was picked up by Boromir, who then held it in the air by the chain. "Boromir," Aragorn called out to him. The rest of the Fellowship had now turned to see what was happening.

"It is a strange fate that we should suffer so much fear and doubt over so small a thing," the man from Gondor said as he stared at the Ring. "Such a little thing…" He reached up to touch it, but a hand grasped his arm firmly and for a moment, he felt something directed at him. Once that moment was gone, he realized what he was doing and looked at the Ring with a small measure of horror (but also lust).

"Boromir," Sasuke said from his side, for it was his hand holding back the arm. "Give the Ring back to Frodo." He released the grip he had and stepped back.

Boromir hesitated for a moment, making Aragorn slowly reach for his sword. "As you wish, Sasuke," the Captain-General said. "I care not." He made his way slowly down to Frodo and offered the Ring, which the hobbit quickly took. He grinned at both Frodo and Aragorn, but when they didn't return it he laughed a short laugh and ruffled Frodo's hair before turning around.

"Could we get a move on?" Gimli asked the rest of the Fellowship. "Let's find a place to rest for the evening so we are not out in the freezing cold like the last three nights."

"Indeed, let us continue," Gandalf agreed, turning back to forge the path ahead.

The rest of the Fellowship followed after the Wizard. "I am sure that we will find a nice cave to rest our weary feet in, Master Dwarf," Legolas said to Gimli, looking back at him while they climbed.

"Well, if we happen to find a forest up here, I will be sure to let you know, Master Elf," he replied, matching the smile on the elf's face. "But I cannot guarantee that it will be green and full of life. Rather, I think it will ice-blue and frozen too."

"Gimli, you've just described my feet," Pippin told the dwarf. "And I think that if you keep talking about it, they'll come right off."

"Peregrin Took, your feet won't come off," Gandalf said aloud without looking back at him. "However, if you don't keep moving, I will help them come off. So please, keep moving."

"I am moving I am moving!" the hobbit moved quickly up the trail, going past the other two hobbits near him.

"Pippin, you almost scared Bill!" Sam chided him while also placing a reassuring hand on the pack pony.

"Sorry, Bill!" he called out to the pony, who seemed to nicker in response.

(Location: Isengard)

Saruman stood in the depth of the factory he had created in the grounds of Isengard. All around him, the orcs under his command worked and toiled, creating weapons and armor, digging out his new creations and seeing that they were ready. The factory rang with all the sounds of hammer, tongs, swords, shields, armor, and fire.

Amidst these sounds, the cawing of Crebain joined. The birds themselves flew into the factory as a flock, flapping through the numerous and voluminous openings that stretched from the cracked openings in the soil over their heads to the deepest levels beneath them. When they saw where the White Wizard stood, they flew to him and began telling him their message.

Having learned the language of birds long ago, he knew what they were saying with ease. When they had finished telling their tale, they flew away through the factory. "So Gandalf, you try to lead them over Caradhras," he mused to himself as he walked away from the ledge where he had stood. Any orcs that were nearby paid no attention to him, for he did not call out to any of them. "And if that fails, where then will you go? If the mountain defeats you, will you risk a more dangerous road?"

He walked out of the factory built into the earth of Isengard and back into the tower. "Ah, but I forget, Gandalf. You would not take that road unless you were forced. So, I shall force you."

(Location: the Fellowship)

Three days had passed since the small incident with Boromir, who was now doing his best to keep his distance. But that was impossible now. A sudden storm had struck on the third while they were traveling with a cliff to one sides and the open air on the other, making the snow reach the waists of the tall people in the Fellowship easily. The short people weren't so fortunate. While Gimli could handle himself, the hobbits had to be carried by Aragorn and Boromir.

"How much farther can we go to find safety?" Boromir called out to Gandalf while carrying Merry and Pippin. "I fear for the hobbits!"

"I cannot safely say!" the Grey Wizard told him from the front, making a path through the snow with his staff. "This storm and winds clouds my sight!"

"Do you want me to scout ahead?" Sasuke asked him. While Legolas was nimble enough to walk on the top of the snow, he did the same by applying chakra to his feet. He kept pace with the front of the path so he could help in any way he could.

But he only shook his head. "No, do not do that. I fear that if you do, you won't be able to find us again!"

The raven-haired man snorted at those words. "I think I'll be able to find my way back. You forget what I wield." The snowstorm had nothing on his **Sharingan**. He would be able to see fine.

"Even so, please stay. It's best that we keep together."

"Fine," he said. Perhaps the Wizard was right. He might be able to see through the snow, but he did not know this mountain. That alone could get him lost.

They continued to forge a path through the snow with the wind howling through them. Time seemed to slow down as they went forward, for it was only Gandalf who was forging the trail and with only his staff. At times, Sasuke wondered if he should help by using Katon jutsus to melt the snow. But then he reminded himself that in this cold of weather, the snow that melted would turn to ice in a short amount of time.

As they made their way, Legolas heard something faint. He moved forward to hear it better, which got the attention of Sasuke. "What is it?" he asked the elf.

He didn't answer straight away. Instead he listened to the wind. The wind carried that something to his ears. It turned out to be a voice, chanting words in Quenya, one of the most ancient languages in the world. But the voice chanting the words sounded wrong to him. "There's a fell voice in the air," he told the Fellowship.

Gandalf listened to the wind and heard the voice as well. And he knew that voice. "It's Saruman!" he shouted in alarm. At that moment, large boulder-size chunks of snow-encrusted stone broke free of the cliff above them. They fell down to the path, making the Fellowship put their backs against the stone to protect themselves.

They were successful, as the chunks struck the snow pushed to the side and then fell down even further. But the danger was still there. "He's trying to bring down the mountain!" Aragorn shouted over the storm. "Gandalf, we must turn back!"

"No!" The Wizard climbed out of the path and onto a nearby clump of hard snow. He began chanting in Quenya too, turning it into a duel of words between him and Saruman. Everyone else could watch in silence as the duel raged on. If it had been any other time, they would've found the words that came from Gandalf's lips to sound beautiful.

He wasn't sure how the duel was going for either side, but Sasuke still had his eyes and the **Sharingan** was blazing. Past the wind and the snow, he could see the small flashes of light in the clouds. Whether this was some part of the duel or not, he didn't know and he didn't care. He saw an opportunity to end it.

"Old man!" he called out to the Wizard. He didn't seem to hear him, so he tried something else. "Gandalf, get clear!"

This time, the Grey Wizard did hear him and though he looked at Crabandir with some surprise, he did as he was told. The raven-haired shinobi took the clump and raised his bandaged hand into the air. He channeled his chakra through it and it manifested as lightening engulfing his palm, stunning most of the Fellowship.

Directing his hand skyward, he discharged his chakra and sent it flying towards the clouds. Once it was there, he could feel the energy inside the clouds and the person trying to harness it. _"Not this time,"_ he silently declared. He caught the person off guard and took control of the storm.

Lightning began to dance amidst the clouds, flowing to a central point. Once there was enough, a shape began to form. It took the shape that the rest of the Fellowship did not know of, a shape of a worm-like creature with whiskers and red eyes. It opened its mouth and roared before disappearing back into the clouds.

In the moment of silence that followed, with all eyes on him and the cloud, Sasuke spoke in his native language. "Be gone with the thunderclap!" he roared into the wind, lowering his hand and directing the jutsu at the original harnesser.

The clouds boomed with thunder and lightning shot through the storm clouds, back to its point of origin. But because of all the noise from the roar and thunder, more of the mountain, mostly snow from the tip above, broke off and fell towards them. "Look out!" Aragorn shouted out, throwing himself back against the stone. The others did the same and Sasuke leapt from the clump.

He landed back on the path just in time as the path was almost immediately buried in more snow (what rocks that fell went straight down). After the snow had stopped falling, they began digging themselves out with desperate hands formed into claws. _"Kami take it, Sasuke, you overdid it,"_ the raven-haired shinobi thought to himself as he got free. The first thing he saw was Bill. The pack pony's head was free of the snow as well as its back. Everything else was buried.

"We must get off the mountain!" Boromir shouted at Gandalf over the wind and snow. "Make for the Gap of Rohan and take the west road to my city!"

"The Gap of Rohan takes us too close to Isengard!" Aragorn reminded him. It would be like walking into a trap now.

"We cannot pass over the mountain, let us go under it!" Gimli declared. "Let us go through the Mines of Moria!"

The Grey Wizard went still when he heard that. Saruman's words echoed in his head.

"_You know what they awoke in the darkness of Khazad-dûm: shadow and flame."_

"Let the Ringbearer decide," he finally announced.

Frodo looked surprised to hear that. To be frank, neither did the rest of the Fellowship. They had all looked to the Wizard among them for leadership. But as the hobbit in question stayed silent, they looked back to Gandalf. "We cannot stay here!" Boromir told him. "This will be the death of the hobbits!"

Sasuke looked at the four hobbits and saw the truth in those words. They looked half-frozen in the snow. But that did not sway Gandalf. "Frodo," he said to the hobbit.

The Ringbearer was still hesitating, not sure of what to say. But when he noticed that all eyes were still on him, he made his choice. "We will go through the Mines."

"So be it."

(Location: Isengard)

Saruman strode into his study, angry and annoyed. He was annoyed for not ensuring that the so-called "Fellowship" would fail to pass through Caradhras and angry for having his lightning taken and redirected back at himself. It was only due to his preparation of a spell of shielding that the lightning bolt that struck did not destroy him or the tower.

But never, in all his years in Middle-Earth, did someone try to strike him with his own attack! It made him furious; there was no other way to put it. If he was a lesser being, he would've started destroying the study in a rage. But he was not a lesser being and he would control his anger. It was better to use it as fuel to further his designs rather than waste it.

He stalked over to his chair and sat down in it. Nearby on the table was his pipe, as black as his staff. He grabbed it and lit, taking a puff. When he had first learned of pipe-weed from Gandalf, he had mocked and insulted the Grey Wizard for it. But it was only six decades later that he took up the habit himself and he could admit that he found it pleasant.

It also helped him think. He had seen a glimpse of the one who wrested control of the lightning from him. What stood out the most of this person were his eyes, blazing blood red. He had only seen those once before, sixty years ago. It had been that infernal company of dwarves came to Rivendell, along with the hobbit that soon carried the One Ring.

But it wasn't the hobbit or the dwarves that had his interest. It was the man who had followed them, the one who seemed to observe rather than speak. After they had left (while the White Council had still been in session), he had heard of what that man had done, having brought the dragon Smaug to the ground and ripping his wings off. But he was more curious about how the man had done it.

He kept asking and searching, but only found rumors. One such rumor was that the man had been a Maia and taken a giant form (which Saruman found ridiculous). Another rumor was the man had called out for the Valar for help and the Valar answered him by giving him the strength to fight the dragon (which he found even more ridiculous, the Valar wouldn't lift a finger to help a Man or anyone else. They would rather watch in silence as the world around them fell to nothing). A variation of the second rumor was that he had called on the Valar from his own land to do battle with the dragon. Despite all the different rumors, they all agreed on three things: when the man fought the dragon, he took the larger shape of a man fully armored, the color of this larger man was purple, and was made of fire.

Such was Saruman's curiosity that, when the man left for his own land, the White Wizard sent men after him. They made it to the land and began sending reports back to their master. He found the lands were called the Elemental Nations and seemed to be in a constant state of semi-war. The people seemed to embrace the savageness of their inner nature and yet, they wielded powers that made him jealous and envious. He had sent orders to see if they could capture one of the warriors called "shinobi" and if so, bring them back to him. Alas, that proved to be an impossible task. Even the clumsiest of shinobi were able to spot his men and either evade them or kill them.

But now, there was one such shinobi here in Middle-Earth. More than that, it appeared that this one was a descendent of the man that traveled with the company of dwarves. And if he carried the same power his ancestor had…? What Saruman could breed into his new creations with those eyes! He placed down his pipe, his mind decided. He will have those eyes.

(Location: the Fellowship)

Since they had admitted defeat on Caradhras and decided to go through the Mines of Moria, they had to turn back. And since the snow had fallen on them, they had to remake the path. Ironically enough, once they had freed Bill, the pack pony proved to be just as able to forge path as well as Gandalf.

They were also lucky to find out that their path wasn't completely ruined. A day or so since they turned back, they found the remnants of their path. There had been some snow on top of it, but it wasn't enough to cause a problem. Instead, they were able to stomp it down quick enough to walk through it.

When they began to actually make their way down the mountain, another storm hit them. It was not as serious or hard as the one Saruman had conjured, but still one worthy enough to be weary of. But Gimli had found a cave big enough to hold them comfortably (if not a little tightly) until the weather.

They had enough wood on Bill's pack to make a fire so they kept warm inside the cave. An interesting thing about the cave was that the sides and roof were covered in snow that had a thin layer of ice coating the surface. The light from the fire shone different shades on the lights, giving the Fellowship a bit of show. "I can see why the dwarves like to live beneath the mountains if they can see this every day," Legolas admitted to Gimli.

"If you are impressed by this, Master Elf, then what lays deeper in our mountains will astound you," the dwarf told him. "Veins of metal that run through the stone like great currents of streams and rivers, caverns where clumps and clusters of jewels shine and sparkle when light is cast upon them, and the sound of water coursing through the stone and rock only to fall into an abyss is what lies beneath the surface of our mountains."

"Hearing this talk about of your home reminds me of the Shire," Sam said Gimli. "I hope that I will be able to see its green hills and flowing streams again." He could picture it now and if he closed his eyes, he could feel the warm sun on his face.

"We all feel the same way about our homes, young Samwise," Gandalf told him with a general agreement from the rest of the Fellowship.

The only person who held his silence was Sasuke and the others noticed. "What?" he asked when he saw that their eyes were on him.

"Don't you miss your home?" Pippin asked him.

"I lost the right to call Konoha my home."

"Why? What did you do?"

"Drop it, Pippin," he told the hobbit sharply.

All he did was make the Took confused. "Drop what? I'm not holding anything to drop."

While he stifled the urge to shake his head and rolled his eyes, Gandalf stepped in. "He is telling you to let it go, Peregrin Took. What he has to say about his home is for him to say. So don't bother him."

Pippin didn't say anything, so Boromir took the chance to do so. "I've been meaning to thank you, Sasuke, for stopping me that day," he said to the man known as Crabandir. Frodo and Aragorn began to feel uneasy when they heard those words.

"There's no need to thank me," Sasuke answered.

"Still, I must thank you." The man from Gondor looked just as uncomfortable as Frodo and Aragorn. "I would like to think that I am a good man who wants peace–"

"That's where you're wrong," the raven-haired man interrupted him. "You are not a good man."

That certainly surprised him, as he could only respond with, "What?"

"Mr. Sasuke, I think that Mr. Boromir is a very good man," Sam declared, coming to Boromir's defense.

"Aye, I'll stand by that," Gimli agreed.

"As will I," Legolas said.

"Same here," Merry spoke out.

"I think so too," Pippin announced.

The Captain-General looked grateful for the support he received (although he cast an uncertain look on Aragorn and Frodo when they didn't say anything). But Sasuke only frowned. "You're not listening to what I'm not saying," he told them. "None of you are good men and you won't find peace like that."

"Lad, I should warn, I can and will take offense at such words," Gimli said, his voice rumbling with a growl. While they didn't say it, the rest of the Fellowship (minus the Grey Wizard) showed on their faces that they agreed with the dwarf.

"Sasuke, perhaps you could say what you're not saying?" Gandalf suggested with a small smile on his lips and what looked like a twinkle in his eyes.

"_These people would not have made it as shinobi,"_ he thought to himself as he mentally rolled his eyes. "None, none of you are good men but neither are any of you evil men."

The looks they had on their faces were replaced by with looks of confusion. "How could we not be good men and not be evil men?" Frodo asked.

"_Okay then, baby steps."_ He stood up from where he was sitting and walked over to the nearby wall, pulling out a kunai as he walked. When he reached the wall and stood before the snow, he swiftly punched it, breaking the ice. Using all parts of the kunai, he began to carve something into the snow.

His body blocked what he was carving so the Fellowship could not see what he was doing. When he was done and he stepped away, they examined what he created and were confused by it. "What is this symbol you have created, Crabandir?" Legolas asked him while still examining the symbol.

The basic shape was that of a circle with a line through the center that curved slightly, separating the two parts of the circle. On one side of the circle, he had dug the snow out deep, so deep that in the light of the fire it looked black. On the other side of the circle, the white snow was untouched. The only difference on the two sides was that they had a dot of the opposite color in them. The white dot was all that was left of the snow that was dug out and the black dot was the only part he dug out on the white side.

"This is the symbol of the yin-yang," he told them, moving to a different patch on the wall, breaking the ice there and began carving something there. "From what I've learned about Middle-Earth, you see good and evil like this." He stepped away from the carving, which was a simple line and the words "Good" and "Evil" on either side. "You see them as opposing forces that will clash again and again and have nothing to do with one another. This is where you are wrong."

"What do you mean by that?" Aragorn asked him.

"Good and evil are not opposing forces; they are compliments of each other. Without each other, they would not exist."

"That's not true," Sam protested. "If there was no evil, the world would be a happier place. There would be no struggles or problems anywhere."

"If there was no evil, then what is good, Sam? What is light without darkness? What is the day without the night?" he asked the hobbit, who had no answer. "Such things are defined by what is their opposite and it applies to everything that has or will existed, even these gods you call the Valar and the Dark Lord."

"I do not think Sauron would agree with your words if he had heard them, Crabandir," Legolas said to him.

"I wasn't talking about Sauron."

"But Sauron is the Dark Lord," Merry said to him. "Who else could you be talking about?"

"I've read the history of this part of the earth and I believe I know it well. Sauron is only the second Dark Lord. I speak of the first: Melkor."

When the name was spoken, the wind outside the cave seemed to sharpen and howl and the fire that warmed them dimmed slightly. The Fellowship all looked on quietly. "…It has been a long time since that name was uttered in these lands, when its name was Beleriand," Gandalf said, his voice quiet and solemn. "And yet, Morgoth was evil, for he wanted to destroy this world."

"Or perhaps he realized the truth of what I've spoken and chose to become evil. He chose his path so that the world might go on. He chose to lie to his kin and shouldered the burden alone."

"A burden?" repeated Legolas, sounding offended by his words. "You consider being a Dark Lord and attempting to destroy the world a burden?"

"Yes, I do," he answered. "It is a burden. A burden of being despised, hated, and cursed, a burden of everyone turning their backs or seeking to destroy you, a burden of being alone and forever being damned in the eyes of other people. Perhaps at some point, he did want to destroy or rule the world, but that is what Melkor carried on his shoulders. Someone must always carry the darkness, shoulder that hate, otherwise it would all be pointless."

"Do you really believe that?" Sam asked him. To the hobbit, all of it sounded a little weird (and if he was being honest, wrong).

"I do." He looked back at the circle. "The dots represents that there's a little part darkness in the light just as there is a little part of light in the darkness. To those who know this symbol, that means you can do an evil act for good and a good act for evil."

"Like what?" Pippin asked him. "How could one do a good act for evil?"

"I think the Oath of Fëanor would be one such act," he answered. He had read about the Oath and what had come because of it, like the three kin-slayings and the declaration that they had lost the right to what they were looking for. There was also what he had tried to do, but that wasn't the point he was trying to make. "What am I trying to tell you is that you are not good men and you are not evil men. You are simply men. There is light and darkness in each and every one of us."

"Then how are we to be men if there both of these in us?" Boromir asked him. "Are you saying that we simply need to choose which one we prefer to find our peace?"

He shook his head. "No, you just went back to the beginning again. The key to understanding and finding peace in both light and darkness is that you must find balance."

"…Balance?" Aragorn repeated after a moment of silence.

"Yes, balance. You must keep the light and the darkness in balance within yourself. By doing that, you will find peace," he told them. He wasn't really one to say all that, but they needed the lesson more than he did.

No one said a word after that. They just stayed silent and looked at the fire, thinking over his words.

* * *

><p>The next few days were spent traveling down the mountain, almost out of the snow. And while they did not have to forge their path anymore, it was still cold enough for them to shiver. "Frodo, come and help an old man" Gandalf called out to the hobbit, who came over and placed himself beneath his arm. "How's your shoulder?"<p>

"Better than it was," he answered honestly.

"And the Ring?" the Wizard asked him, making him pause and look up at the bigger person between the two of them. "You feel its power growing, don't you? I've felt it too. You must be careful now. Evil will be drawn to you from outside the Fellowship, and I fear from within."

Frodo could only cast a quick glance at Sasuke, who was passing by them. "Who then do I trust?" he asked Gandalf.

"You must trust yourself. Trust your own strength."

"What do you mean?"

"There are many powers in this world for good or for evil," he told the hobbit. "Some are greater than I am, and against some I have not yet been tested."

Gimli, who had been walking behind them, stopped and pointed at what lay before them. "The walls of Moria!" he said with reverence in his voice.

"_I will admit, that's impressive,"_ Sasuke admitted. It may have just been a side of the mountain, but what impressed him was the sheer size of it. He could see the ends of it if he turned his head to look. It was also deceptive, as the journey to them took longer than he had originally estimated. By the time they reached the walls, night had fallen.

"Dwarf doors are invisible when closed," Gimli told the Fellowship as they walked along the walls, tapping the stone with the back of his axe.

"Yes Gimli!" Gandalf agreed. "Their own masters cannot find them, if their secrets are forgotten!"

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Legolas asked aloud, making the dwarf in the Fellowship glare and grumble at his back.

As Sasuke looked on at the two, he could only shake his head. _"It seems that it wasn't enough that you gave me Naruto in the form of a Hobbit, Kami. You had to put him in a Dwarf and then me in an Elf as well."_ The way Gimli and Legolas bickered back and forth reminded Crabandir too much of the old days with Naruto. And if the past was any indicator, those two would become the best of friends.

A splash rang out amongst them as Frodo had slipped and landed his foot in the waters near the walls. It was shockingly cold and he pulled it out just as quickly as it came in. He looked at the water, feeling uneasy about it but he did not know why.

As the hobbit rejoined the Fellowship, Gandalf approached a part of the wall and began to examine it more closely. "Let me see," he said to himself as his hand traced over the faint cravings he found. It didn't take him long to realize what it was and exclaimed, "Ithildin."

"What's that?" Sasuke asked, having heard him.

"Something that is only mirrors starlight and moonlight," he answered, turning away from the door to look up at the night sky. At that moment, the clouds in front of the moon drifted away, allowing it to shine its light down on the walls. The cravings began to glow until it revealed the image of two columns supporting an arch with trees enveloping them. Beneath the arch was a hammer and anvil, a crown, and seven stars while between the two trees was a single star. On the arch itself, words had been engraved. "It reads 'The Doors of Durin, Lord of Moria, speak, friend and enter,'" Gandalf told them all, using his staff to show where the words were.

"What do you supposed that means?" Merry asked him.

"Oh, it's quite simple. If you are a friend, you speak the password and the doors will open." He placed his staff on the single star and began chanting in a different tongue.

"_Must be Elvish,"_ Sasuke thought to himself. But whatever the language was, it didn't seem to work. Gandalf frowned, and then tried to again, speaking different words. He was no successful the second time then he was the first.

The mood of the Fellowship, which had risen since finding the walls, began to drop again. Looks began to pass between the members and Pippin was the one who stated the obvious. "Nothing's happening."

Gandalf ignored him and stepped up to the door. He placed his shoulder against it and tried pushing it open. When that didn't work, he tried his hands. "I once knew every spell in all the tongues of elves, men, and orcs," he muttered aloud.

"So you're losing your touch?" Sasuke asked him with a small smirk.

While the rest of the Fellowship might've sent him shocked looks, Gandalf just looked at him with irritation. "Now is not the time for you to prove that you are Madara's descendent, Sasuke!"

"So, what are you going to do then?" Pippin asked.

That was when his temper broke. "Knock your head against it, Peregrin Took! And if that does not shatter them, and I'm allowed a little peace from foolish questions, I will try to find the opening words."

The hobbit got the obvious hint and promptly shut up. The Fellowship realized that what the Wizard was planning to do would take some time. So they made themselves comfortable (as comfortable as they could get in that kind of area) and waited.

No one kept track of time as they waited. The area began to fill with the sound of Gandalf speaking in different languages. Sasuke could hear all of them from where he leaned against the wall. To his surprise (and silent delight), he found the languages to be soothing. They made him feel calm and relax, like something one would hear from an old relative. If it wasn't for the hint of annoyance and worry in Gandalf's voice, he would've been tempted to close his eyes and drift away into sleep.

Instead, he let his eyes focus on other things, like the fact Aragorn and Sam were unpacking Bill and sending him away. _"Why are they doing that?"_ He looked back at Gandalf and figured it out. A pony would probably lose its mind inside there and panic. That was never good.

His attention turned to Merry and Pippin, who were throwing rocks into the water. Aragorn quickly stopped that. "Do not disturb the water," he told the hobbits, grabbing Pippin's arm before he threw a rock.

"Oh, it's useless," Gandalf declared as he stepped away from the Doors, tossed his staff to the ground, and sat down on a log.

"Do you want me to break them down?" Sasuke asked him, gesturing to the doors. He could probably do it. It would just be loud.

"No, do not do that," he said in reply.

"There has to be a way to get them open."

"Do you have any idea to do that, young Sasuke? Perhaps you know something that I don't." Those words were a challenge, plain and simple. And yet, it was not a serious challenge. It was more akin to an offer to see what he had thought up.

But all he did was shrug his shoulders. "You make it sound like I know how to open them and I don't. All I can offer is that perhaps the creators of these Doors were being both subtle and obvious about the answer."

When he heard those words, a realization struck Frodo. He stood up and more closely examined the writing, even though he could not read them. "It's a riddle," he declared. As he was figuring this all out, the water next to them began to ripple. "Speak 'friend'…enter. What's the Elvish word for friend?" he asked Gandalf.

"Mellon," the Wizard answered and at those words, the Doors began to open, drawing the attention of everyone there. Chuckling a little, Gandalf stood up and led the way, placing a crystal on the tip of his staff.

"Both subtle and obvious," Gimli repeated with a grin as he entered through the doors beside Sasuke. "Now that you have said, I can see it. That was well done of you, Sasuke. Soon, you and Master Elf behind us will enjoy the fable hospitality of the dwarves. Roaring fires! Malt beer! Red meat off the bone!" he declared with joy as the path in front of them became clearer due to the light from Gandalf's crystal. "This is the home of my cousin Balin and they call it a Mine! A Mine!"

But the light from the crystal revealed things, horrible things. "This is no mine," Boromir said in realization filled with horror. "It's a tomb!"

Surrounding them were bodies of dead dwarves. They were everywhere, even on the stairs that lay in front of them. They had stumbled onto the sight of a battle that the dwarves living in Moria had lost. "No," Gimli said in horror when he saw the skeletons, for that was all that remained of their bodies. He quickly went over to one to see it closer and saw that dwarf had been killed by two arrows to the neck. The armor he wore and axe he wield were all but brown from rust and cobwebs were spun all around him. Even his beard had turned into a mangy thing. "NOOO!" howled the only living dwarf there.

Legolas pulled out an arrow from one of the corpses to look at it closer. "Goblins!" he said, realizing the craftsmanship (which was to say, poor but cruel).

The single word he said also served as a warning to everyone. Both Boromir and Aragorn drew their swords while he nocked an arrow to his bow. Sasuke stood at the ready with his **Sharingan** blazing. Meanwhile, the hobbits had begun to back out of the Mines. "We make for the Gap of Rohan," Boromir said in a grim but hard voice. "We never should have come here. Now get out of here! Get out!"

That was when the next nasty surprise appeared. In one second, Frodo felt something wet and slippery grasp his leg. In the next second, it had yanked him off his feet and began dragging him to the water. He tried to get out, but the tentacle (which was what had the grasp on his leg) was strong.

But the other hobbits had noticed what had happened. Crying out his name at roughly the same time, both Merry and Pippin grabbed hold of Frodo's arms and began pulling him back, creating a tug-of-war. "Strider!" cried out Sam, alerting Aragorn and the others to what was happening. The hobbit then leapt into action, drawing his blade and hacking away at the tentacle. "Get off him!" he yelled at it.

Within two swings of his sword, the end of the tentacle was holding on by a flap of skin. It released its grasp on Frodo and withdrew to the water, disappearing beneath the surface. Both Pippin and Merry pulled their friend back, thinking that they were safe. But that feeling was incredibly short-lived when more tentacles burst out of the water, knocked three of the hobbits away, and grabbed the one it wanted, dragging him up into the air.

Legolas stepped out of the Doors, shooting the arrow he had nocked at the tentacle holding Frodo. But it did no good. Both Boromir and Aragorn were the water, cutting away at the other tentacles so they could get closer. Sasuke stood on the shore, his right hand clutching his left wrist, waiting for the right moment.

When the head of the beast commanding the tentacles emerged from the water and opened its gaping maw, Frodo screamed louder as he dangled in the air, realizing the implication. Boromir hurried his swing when he saw the same thing, cutting off a tentacle faster and making the creature wreathe in pain.

Its wreathing allowed Aragorn to get to the hobbit-grasping tentacle and cut off. The grip it had on Frodo slackened and the hobbit fell down into the safety of Boromir's arms. "Into the Mines!" cried out Gandalf, urging those who were on the shore through the Doors.

But the creature was not done nor was it going to give up its prize so easily. "Legolas!" shouted Boromir as he waded through the water carrying Frodo. The elf prince saw what he was silently asking for and promptly fired off an arrow, striking the creature in one of its eyes. It roared in pain and fell back slightly.

"Into the cave!" shouted Aragorn as he got out of the water and raced towards the Doors along with everyone else.

Sasuke stood at the Doors, pushing everyone else through. "Go, go!" he urged Aragorn, who was the last one through. His left palm was coated in lightning again and he swung it wide. **"Chidori Senbon!"** The jutsu sprayed an uncountable number of the lightning senbon into the water, shocking the creature immensely and with any luck, killing it. Seeing that his work was done, Sasuke fled into the Mines.

But the Watcher was not done either. Its tentacles grasped the Doors of Durin, like it was going to pull itself out of the water and after them. But what happened was the Doors broke apart and fell down, along what felt like the rest of the walls to the Fellowship, who watched it happen. The way out, as well as a good portion of the entranceway, were blocked by the collapse of the stone, covering them in darkness.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know that since **Kirin** is just natural lightning, it obeys the rules of lightning. That is why Saruman had time to prepare that spell, because even if lightning strikes the ground in 1/1000 of second, it still has to get to the ground it's going to strike.

If Saruman had learned about Madara, he would've definitely sent people after him to learn about the new land. But when it came to capturing shinobi to bring back, that's where they lose. Compared to the shinobi, whoever Saruman could've sent would've been an amateur (if not an outright novice).

I might've offended the Tolkien purists out there by that discussion (or lecture, take your pick) in the cave. Now, let me be clear: those were Sasuke's beliefs, not the truth of it. Not everything the Fellowship takes for the truth and the same goes for him. What is true and what isn't may or may not be revealed later on. And I might add some more while I'm at it.

Legolas and Gimli are little like Sasuke and Naruto if you think about it. They fight and bicker all the time and yet, at the end of the day, they are the best of friends.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	5. Sorrow-filled secrets

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 5: Sorrow-filled secrets

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Sasuke)

For a brief moment, he could see nothing, only the blackness before his eyes. It was comfortable feeling as he was most familiar with it. But the majority of the others were not, evident by how quickly they were breathing. "We now have but once choice," Gandalf announced as the light from the crystal atop his staff returned, letting the others see. "We must face the long dark of Moria." He walked slowly forward, leading the way. "Be on your guard," he warned the rest of the Fellowship. "There are older and fouler then orcs in the deep places in the world."

"_That's not something we need to know right now, old man,"_ Sasuke thought to himself as he walked forward, next to Legolas and in front of Gimli and the hobbits. Boromir and Aragorn covered the rear.

They all treaded lightly as they walked, careful not to step on the dead. "Quietly now," Gandalf told them in a whisper they could all hear. "It's a four day trip to the other side. Let us hope that our presence goes unnoticed."

Everyone was hoping for that as well. But they climbed the stairs Gimli's curiosity got the better of him. "Forgive me, Sasuke," he said to the man in front of him with a low voice. "But I must know what exactly did you to the creature."

"What do you mean by that?" Sasuke asked back just as quietly.

"I'm talking about the thing with the lightning in your hand. If you had such a thing to use, why did you not charge the creature when you had the chance instead of flinging it into the water?"

"That's because I was thinking while I was fighting. Electricity can be conducted through water and every on dry land, so I thought it was safe to use. If the creature was still in the water when the electricity struck, it also would've been hit by the lightning."

"And the name of your weapon?" asked the dwarf. "The one you used to take care of the creature?"

"That was called the **Chidori Senbon**," he answered.

"So it's similar to what on you did on Caradhras."

"Only in the sense that they are both lightning jutsus," he told Gimli as they finished climbing the stairs. Behind them, Boromir carefully took out a torch he found on the wall and quickly lit it, giving light to the back of the Fellowship. "Other than that, they are not similar."

If there were any other questions he had, Gimli did not ask them at that moment. For they had walked through the short tunnel at the end of the staircase and entered into one of the largest areas Crabandir had ever seen.

The path that they were walking on did not go straight like an arrow. It twisted and curved around clusters, clumps, and natural spires, all from the stone surrounding them. What wasn't natural was still impressive. If he had to guess, the place they were walking through, with all its wooden scaffolding, bridges, and buckets dangling from wires, was one of the mining areas.

He was not alone in his observations. The others looked around with silent awe on their faces. They were all impressed by what they were seeing. But the awe in their eyes and on their faces turned into something else, a look of wondering and unsureness. Sasuke knew what that look meant. The rest of the Fellowship had a question on their minds, one he had himself: what would this place have been like when it alive with dwarves?

"_It'd probably be less quiet,"_ Sasuke told himself as they kept walking. The path had taken them away from the middle of the area and now had them walking alongside one of the rock walls. He could see how extensive the old dwarves had mined just by looking at the wall. "There must've been a lot of gold or jewels in these Mines for the dwarves to have dug so much," he commented quietly to the rest of the Fellowship.

"That is where you would be wrong, Sasuke," Gandalf said as he pressed his hand lightly on a vein of metal in the rock. "The wealth was not in gold, or jewels, but mithril." He lowered his staff and urged more light to come forth, allowing them all to see more of the Mines.

While Sasuke had seen a few mines in his years, they had all been made by men. And in the terms of how big and how deep those mines were, the dwarves had them beat. For the depth he saw now was completely bottomless and he could not see the celling of this immense cave. Neither could he see the other side, but he put that down to how far the light was casted.

But there was one thing that bothered him and he risked sounding like an idiot in asking it aloud. He still asked it. "What exactly is mithril?" He asked as the light dimmed. He had read about it, but did not know the exact details of it were.

It was Gimli who answered him. "Mithril, lad, is the greatest prize to be treasured or crafted one could find in the world and for good reason," the dwarf began to explain it to him as they started walking again. "It can be beaten like copper and polished like glass. In the hands of a dwarf, it can be forged into armor that was almost as light as the air and yet, harder than the strongest steel and iron."

"Unfortunately, mithril has become quite rare these days," Gandalf said, entering the conversation. "The last time I had seen any mithril armor was a shirt of rings that Thorin had given Bilbo. I never told him this, but its worth was greater than the value of the Shire."

"Ah! That was kingly gift," Gimli conceded. "But even that would have paled to what my cousin Balin and the dwarves that came with him were trying to create."

"What do you mean by that, Gimli?" Merry asked him.

"After Madara was victorious in his duel against Smaug, the Company was eternally grateful to him. The thirteen dwarves sworn that if he asked one thing of them, they would gladly see it done. All he asked for was a suit of mithril armor done in the style of his homeland as his own was badly damaged and would later be destroyed in the Battle of the Five Armies. Alas, no such suit existed in the vast horde of Smaug, so the dwarves promised to forge one for him. And when a dwarf makes such a promise, he keeps it. Even after Madara had left Erebor and disappeared, they never let go of that promise, using what mithril they had to create this armor. One of the most important reasons Balin had tried to reclaim Moria was so they could use the mithril there to finish the armor, having taken it with them."

"It is an impressive tale, Gimli," Gandalf told him. "But I doubt we will find any such armor here, finished or not. Let us focus more on reaching the other side of the Mines safely."

No one could argue that idea, so they kept quiet and followed his lead. The path he lead them on was sometimes narrow and sometimes wide. It took them through narrow tunnels, small corridors, and wide areas of the Mines, showing how far and much the dwarves had dung in their time there. They climbed stairs and went down stairs while on the path, some were steep and some were not. A small thing that comforted them, Gimli most of all, was that as they walked the path, they did not see any more dead dwarves. It gave them hope that there were still some left alive.

Since they could not see the sun or the sky, they had no proper sense of time. They walked for as far as they could and for as long as they could before finding a quiet place to camp for time. Since it was almost certain that they were not alone in the Mines, they only made fires for when they absolutely needed them. They were a great help to those who stood (or rather sat) watch while the others slept.

It was in such a scenario that Sasuke and Aragorn found themselves in, for they had drawn the lot of first watch that "night" and sat around the small fire, trying to keep themselves warm by it. For what felt like the longest time they sat in silence, not saying a word to each other.

It was Aragorn who first broke the silence. "Sasuke, I wish to speak to you about something," he said to the man sitting across the fire from him.

"What is it?" Crabandir asked him.

"About what you said in the cave during the storm, do you think that it is possible to do an evil act for good?" The thought of that had silently plagued him ever since they had left that cave and came upon the walls of Moria.

The shinobi nodded once. "Yes, it is. But someone can also do a good act for evil." It was always important to remember that.

"But how then does one know when he does a good act for evil or an evil act for good?"

He shrugged his shoulders in reply. 'That will depend on the person."

"On the person?" repeated a confused Aragorn, frowning slightly at those words.

"Despite what people might tell you, your future is not defined before you are born and there is no one definition for good or evil. You decide all of those things with a great and terrible thing: choice."

That got him really confused. "How could choice be a terrible thing to do?" he demanded.

"I said great _and_ terrible. Everything we do in this world is about choice. Why did we camp here instead of later or earlier? Why did we go to Moria instead of risking it at the Gap of Rohan? The choices we make are what define us in our lives, as well as our definitions of what's good and what's evil." He looked at the Ranger. "Why do you ask these questions?"

Aragorn hesitated before answering. "I was thinking of Isildur and what he had done when he took the Ring from Sauron's finger. I was wondering if he had actually been ensnared by the Ring or if he chose to keep it."

"…Tell me, was your ancestor friends with mine?" Sasuke asked him.

"Yes, I believe so. Lord Elrond had often told me of the comradery they had in the Last Alliance." The Lord of Rivendell had also spoken of how the man they knew as Kage did nothing to stop Isildur from claiming the Ring.

"Then perhaps they had the same conversation we are having. Perhaps Isildur had accepted what Indra had told him as truth. Perhaps he had been planning to become the one who shouldered the hatred and fear of being the Ringbearer. Perhaps he had planned to become the third Dark Lord that others would know who their enemy was. Perhaps he had planned to do an evil act for good."

"That…is an interesting to think about it," The heir to the throne of Gondor admitted. If Isildur had planned to do something like that, perhaps that meant he chose to do it and his being killed at an ambush was just poor luck.

"It's up to you to choose to think of your ancestor, Aragorn. I only said perhaps."

He looked at the raven-haired man. "But I do not think that you would've come up with these answers by simply thinking on them. Something had happened to you in your past, didn't it?"

Sasuke scowled at him. "That is none of your business."

"It is a simple question, Uchiha Sasuke," Gandalf said as his eyes opened to see the fire in front of him.

"How long have you been awake?" the shinobi demanded, swinging his head around to look at the Wizard.

"Not long. I only awoke after Aragorn had asked his question of you. Were you not going to answer his second question?"

"It's none of your business either, old man," he snapped, getting angry.

The Wizard looked at him with eyes that seemed to be solemn and yet sad. "It is a simple question, Sasuke."

"Those are usually the ones where you won't like the answer." He knew that all too well.

"Perhaps," Gandalf said, seemingly throwing his own words back at him. "But I find that they are also the ones that bring friends and companions closer. And I do not believe that you wish to remain a stranger to this Fellowship."

"How could I be a stranger when I've come this far with you all?"

"If we sent aside the fact that you are Madara's descendent and the fact that you have been in these lands for ten years, what do we really know about you?"

He stayed silent because he knew the answer to that. Nothing, they knew nothing about him. "Fine, you want to know what happened, I'll tell you what happened. My older brother happened."

"And what did your brother do to make you think of such things?"

"Slaughtered my entire clan and left me alive," he answered, taking a small pleasure in the looks of horror and shock on their faces. "Do you want me to explain or would you like to stop there?"

Gandalf closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. "Continue, please."

Seeing as how he was trapped by his own words, he had no choice. "My brother, Itachi, was everything I wanted to be, for he was the perfect shinobi. Everyone respected and acknowledged him. I wanted to be him. Then one night when I came home late, I found my entire clan slaughtered and he was the one responsible. He left me alive because he thought I wasn't worth the effort. Because of that night and what he said to me, I did not want to be him anymore. I wanted to kill him.

He saw the looks on their faces, but kept going. "That desire kept me going as I grew and trained. It grew even more after I saw him again and tried to attack him, only to be easily beaten. I was engulfed in my desire to kill my brother that I willingly abandoned my home and village to go to a traitor and learn from him. Once I had learned everything I needed from him, I betrayed him as well and left him for dead. I went looking for my brother and once I found him, I fought him. At the end of that fight, he was dead and I was alive."

"By the Valar," the Wizard amongst them said quietly. He had been expecting something bad (he had seen it somewhat in how the shinobi spoke and held himself), but nothing like this.

"Oh, I haven't even gotten started yet, old man," he said, having heard him. "When I had passed out and later awoken, I had been taken away by another member of my clan, one who had been long thought dead and helped Itachi kill them all. He told me the reason why Itachi had slaughtered his own blood."

"There was a reason?" Aragorn asked. He had seen his fair share of slaughters in his time and he had come to believe that one did not need to have a reason to do so.

"Oh yes, there was a reason. You see, my clan had been planning to revolt because of a supposed insult. And since Itachi was working so close to the Hokage at the time, they used him to spy on the village. But he was more loyal to the village then to the clan and became a double agent. When it became too late for negotiation of peace, the elders of the village ordered him to kill them all. And he did, with the exception of me.

"When I had learned of this, I promised to destroy the very village I had been born in, starting with the elders who ordered him to kill them. I even managed to kill one of them. It took to talking to the spirits of my dead brother and the previous Hokages for me to realize what Itachi had truly done and give up my promise to destroy the village. Now I wished to destroy the entire world that I had known and rebuild it into something I believed to be better. At some point down the road that was my life, I had become what I had thought my brother was: a monster."

They stared at him in silence for the longest time. "You are not a monster, Sasuke," Aragorn finally said. "For one, you do not look like it."

"Monster is another one of those words that have many meanings and definitions, Aragorn. And it isn't always about looks," he replied.

"If you wanted to destroy what you knew as the world and yet, are here ten years later, I assume something happened?" Gandalf asked.

Whatever anger he had about them asking about his life burned out at those words, for he could still remember what happened that made him come to Middle-Earth quite vividly. "Yeah, something did. If there was any chance of my plan to recreate the shinobi world to be successful, I had to kill the person I considered to be my best friend. He was the only one who could've stopped me and he did.

"In the battleground where we had fought, he stood victorious over me at the end of it. He could've ended my life right then and there and it was probably the better choice. But instead, he offered me his hand and when I took it, he pulled me back onto my feet and told me to leave. I did and in the ten years I had been in Middle-Earth, I came to realize what I've told you all. My brother had been the one to bear the darkness and I had planned to do so by recreating the Shinobi world. Only I failed, but I know the darkness."

When they stayed silent, he looked at them both. "I expect both of you to not tell the others about this. They do not need to know about it and it has nothing to do with our quest is."

"Of course," Aragorn said, nodding his head in agreement.

"I think you should be glad that you had such a good friend to allow you to live," Gandalf said to the raven-haired shinobi.

"Yeah, I am." He left at that and so did they.

* * *

><p>He went to sleep when the next watch awoke and when he woke up; it was time to get moving again. The path began to have more and more steep staircases, the kind where the shorter people in the Fellowship had to climb it with both their hands and feet. <em>"It's a good thing we left Bill behind,"<em> Sam thought to himself as they climbed.

When they got to the top of the steep staircase, they saw three corridors in front of them. Gandalf went up a few more steps before stopping and looking at the three corridors. "I have no memory of this place," he declared. Everyone else knew that was not a good thing.

They made a small fire to keep warm while they waited. Gandalf sat in front of the three corridors while Sasuke leaned against the nearby wall. Frodo was sitting against a smaller clump of rocks. When he made a causal look behind him, he saw something that made him turn around. There was something moving up the stairs, something small and was moving in and out of the shadows quickly. He went right up to Gandalf after losing it in the shadows. "There's something down there," he said.

"It's Gollum," the Wizard told him without taking his gaze off of the corridors.

"Gollum?" he repeated, surprised to hear that word. But when Sasuke heard it, he came forward and looked down, his **Sharingan** alight and searching.

"He's been following us for three days," Gandalf said.

"He escaped the dungeons of Barad-dûr," the hobbit said in realization.

"Escaped…or was set loose," the Wizard corrected, finally looking at him. "And now the Ring has drawn him here. He won't ever be rid of his need for it. He hates and loves the Ring, just as he hates and loves himself. Sméagol's life is a sad one." He noticed the look on Frodo's face. "Yes, Sméagol he was once called, before the Ring found him, before it drove him mad."

"It's a pity Bilbo didn't kill him when he had the chance," the hobbit spat, casting a look back down the stairs.

Both Gandalf and Sasuke looked at him sharply when they heard those words. "Pity?" repeated Gandalf. "It was pity that stayed Bilbo's hand. Many that live deserve death, and some that die deserve life. Can you give it to them Frodo?" The hobbit had no answer to give back to him. "Do not be deal death and judgment. Even the very wise cannot see all ends. My heart tells me that Gollum has some part to play yet, for good or ill…before this is all over."

"He's leaving," Sasuke quietly told them. He watched as the creature below slipped away, deactivating his **Sharingan**.

"The pity of Bilbo may rule the fate of many," the Wizard said to the hobbit.

Frodo looked unsure, so the shinobi spoke. "Frodo, never hate someone to an extent that you wish to kill them. You'll become them in their place if you do." The Grey Wizard gave him a look, one that he did not return.

The Ringbearer seemed to deflate a little and sat down next to them. "I wish the Ring had never come to me," he confessed. "I wished none of this had happened." Right now, he wished that he could be back in the Shire, living in Bag End in peace.

"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide," Gandalf told him. "All we have to decide is what to do with the time given to us. There are other forces at work in this world, Frodo, besides the will of evil. Bilbo was meant to find the Ring, in which case you were also meant to find it to have it. And that is an encouraging thought."

"I would say it's more of a reminder then an encouragement," Sasuke remarked, earning their attention.

"What makes you say that, Sasuke?" Frodo asked him.

"I know what you're feeling, Frodo, even if I'm not carrying the Ring. What you're feeling is that you don't think you can do this. That the goal you've sent out for is impossible and that would be for the best to turn around and walk away. But the minute you turn, you've lost."

"Then what should I do?"

"It's something very simple. All you have to do is remember why you've come this far and then, take a step forward. Then another step, and another, and another until you've started walking again." He had felt like that a few (a very few) times when he had trained to kill Itachi. His reminder was that night and it was enough for him to keep going.

"Very wise words, Sasuke," Gandalf said to him. "I see you have your own wisdom about how to keep moving forward."

"Yeah, I do," he admitted, looking away from the Wizard. It was strange, but ever since this journey had begun, the old man began to feel like a weird mixture of the Sandaime Hokage and Itachi. He wasn't exactly sure how to deal with that and a small part of him suggested that he start calling the Wizard by his name, for he had certainly earned it.

"It certainly a sad and scary thing to hear how to keep moving from one who has never carried this burden," Frodo remarked, only realizing that he might've made it sound like an insult too late.

But if Crabandir heard as an insult, he did not show it on his face. "No, the sad and scary thing is that you got it from the youngest person in this Fellowship," he replied.

The look on the hobbit's face was one of both surprise and shock. "What? Are you sure?" he couldn't help but ask.

The raven-haired man nodded once. "I'm twenty-seven."

He didn't know whether he should laugh or not. He never would've guessed that the man from Southern-Earth would be the youngest of them all. The way he held himself and the way he spoke made him seem to be much older. But he was younger than Pippin, who was the youngest of the four hobbits! Thankfully for him, Gandalf stopped him from making a choice by saying, "Oh!" Both eyes looked to him when he said that. "It's that way!" he told them, gesturing to one of the corridors.

The declaration got the attention of the rest of the Fellowship. "He remembered!" Merry said, standing up and putting his pipe away. As the rest of the Fellowship gathered up around the Wizard, Sam quickly put out the fire.

"No, but the air doesn't smell so foul down," Gandalf replied as he stood before the corridor entrance, putting his hat back on his head. "If in doubt, Meriadoc, always follow your nose."

"_I think I'll stick to my eyes,"_ Sasuke thought to himself as they started down the steps in the corridor. It was less than the stairs they had climbed up to get here, so they were able to go down easier than they had come up.

The light from Gandalf's staff was the only light they had. The further they down, the less they saw of the light from the corridor entrance. But the only person who felt comfortable in the darkness that was all around was Sasuke. He hung back a little, staying half-way between the light and the dark.

When they got to the bottom, all they saw was great darkness before them. "Let me risk a little more light," the Wizard amongst them said quietly, urging more like from the crystal. It worked and the darkness was pierced, letting them see what was there. "Behold the great realm of dwarf city of Dwarrowdelf."

The light revealed giant ornate columns made of stone that went from ceiling (which was very high up) to floor and they stretched out for miles and miles. Truly, it was all they could see and it astounded them. Sam summed up what they felt of the sight. "There's an eye-opener and no mistake."

"Yes it is, Sam," Sasuke agreed at they began walking forward, into the forest of columns. "Remind me to never bring shinobi from Iwa here. Odds are they would try to destroy it."

"And why would your people want to destroy such a thing?" Gimli asked him, a warning tone in his voice.

"They're not my people. They're from the Land of Earth; I was from the Land of Fire. And they would probably do it out of jealously." That statement earned him looks of confusion, both small and great, so he had to explain. "Shinobi who hail from Iwagakure, the Village Hidden by Rocks, are considered to be the masters of Doton, which means Earth Style in your Common Tongue, jutsus. All of this would make them look like amateurs." He gestured at all the columns they were walking through to emphasize his point.

"Then as the representative of the Dwarves currently in Khazad-dûm, I will take pride in that they would show envy at something great," Gimli declared. "Now tell me, Master Elf, are you impressed by what you see?" he asked Legolas.

"Yes, I am," the elf prince admitted. "I have never seen anything like this before in my long life."

The dwarf grinned when he heard those words, proud to have gotten the elf to admit that the dwarves could build something that would astound him. His grin faded away when he saw a nearby door that had light emitting from it. With a short gasp of surprise and hope, he started running towards it. "Gimli!" called out Gandalf.

But he did not listen. He just ran into the room, hope speeding his way. But his hope and speed disappeared when he saw that in the room was a tomb. The light he had seen shined down on the inscription on the tomb. "No," he said, making it sound like a wish and a prayer. But neither would come true. He could read the inscription perfectly and he knew the double-bladed axe that lay on the tomb, having seen it when he had been young. "No," he said again, taking a knee. "No." Tears began to well up in his eyes.

The rest of the Fellowship came into the room, looking around at the number of skeletons lying around the tomb. Gandalf went straight up to the tomb and read the inscription. "Here lays Balin, son of Fundin, Lord of Moria." He looked at the axe. "That is the axe his father gave him when he came of age."

"Aye," Gimli agreed with a voice full of emotion. "He never really used it, claiming that it felt heavy and cumbersome in his hands. He always preferred his flat-bladed mace." The mention of the weapon seemed like the last straw for the dwarf, the tears began to fall and he cried.

"He is dead then," the Wizard declared, taking off his hat. "It is as I feared."

They all stood at the tomb and gave it a moment of silence. The only sound that was made was Gimli and his tears. Once the moment was done, Sasuke began looking around. The place was clearly the sight of a battle, one that the dwarves had lost. Perhaps even a last stand. If that was true, they must've been on their last legs. He couldn't help but wonder if they didn't leave because they couldn't or they would not leave their lord behind. He had a feeling that it would've been the latter. The dwarves seemed to be the loyal kind, if his watching Gimli and reading about them was anything to go by.

As he looked around, something caught his eye. _"What is that?"_ he asked himself as he looked at the corner where the something was. Whatever it was, it was covered in cobwebs and dirt.

Meanwhile, Gandalf had begun looking around as well. He noticed that one of the dwarf skeletons next to the tomb held a large tome in its hands. He gave his staff and his hat to Pippin so his hands would be free. When he bent down to pick the tome up, he stopped in realization. He recognized the dwarf before him. "Oh, Ori, I am so sorry for your end," he said. When Gimli heard those words, more tears leaked from his eyes.

As the Wizard took the tome and blew dust off of it, Legolas turned to Aragorn. "We must move on," he said. "We cannot linger."

"They have taken the bridge and the Second Hall," Gandalf began to read aloud. He frowned and placed his finger on the page, running through the words until he found the next readable ones. "Óin's party went five days ago but today only four return. The pool is up to the wall at West-gate. The Watcher in the Water took Óin."

Gimli began to weep again at those words. Not only had he lost his cousin, but his uncle too. Still, Gandalf kept reading. "At last…promised fulfilled to…has been stored in the Chamber of Mazarbul…shame it will never see…light of day." He looked up from the tome. "I do not know what he means by these words."

"I think I do," Sasuke said, loud enough for them all to hear. They turned to where he was and saw him picking off cobwebs and wiping off dirt from something on an armor stand. It didn't take him long to finish and they could all see what he had been cleaning.

Gimli had risen to his feet when he saw it. "By the beard of Durin and the beards of my ancestors, Balin actually did it," he breathed out with wonder and surprise in his voice. "A suit of mithril armor has been made."

"_And it's definitely in the style of the Elemental Nations,"_ the shinobi amongst them thought to himself. _"A samurai would be hard-pressed to find a rival to it."_ Each piece of armor gleamed white in the faint light shone upon it. The color was silver-white with only one exception: the red half of the Uchiha fan that was emblazoned on the back of the dō. The dwarves must've taken good notes from Madara because the armor he was looking at was an exact replica of old samurai armor, the kind his ancestor knew. It was flawless; there was no other way to describe it.

Without even thinking over, Sasuke pulled out a scroll, laid it on the floor, and began removing the armor from the stand. "Crabandir, what are you doing?" Legolas asked him.

"I'm taking it with us. Such armor shouldn't waste away in the dark," he answered. He might not have learned a lot about Fūinjutsu when he was learning from Orochimaru (apparently, that had been Jiraiya's area), but he knew how to do a basic storage seal. Once he had all the pieces of the armor on the scroll, he simply channeled his chakra through it and sealed the armor into the scroll.

"By Eru," the elf prince said when he saw this happen.

"Don't be too surprised, that was something basic," he told them as he stood back up, the scroll disappearing into a sleeve of his coat.

Gandalf turned back to the tome. "We have barred the gates, but cannot hold them for long. The ground shakes…drums, drums in the deep." He looked at the Fellowship, seeing the unease in their faces, before turning the page. As he did, Pippin had backed into the well in the room and saw the dwarf sitting on it, an arrow embedded in his chest. "We cannot get out. The shadow moves in the dark. We cannot get out." He lifted his head from the page to look at everyone else. "They are coming."

At that moment, Pippin, driven by his curiosity, touched the arrow and twisted. In doing so, the skull of the dead dwarf fell off and into the well. The loud noise made everyone turned towards it. The body went next, as did the chain and finally, the bucket. The noise that they made falling through the well echoed throughout the chambers and the rest of the Mines. All-the-while, Pippin stood there with a guilty expression on his face.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Sasuke's past was going to come out eventually; it was a matter of what people he showed it too. Personally, I think Aragorn and Gandalf would be the least judgmental. I had also considered Boromir, but I also remember that he is an older brother.

Since I mentioned Óin and Ori before, I also had to mention how they died (and the books are the ones that covered that). Also, I'm not exactly sure where Gimli picked up the axe in the room, so I just put it on the tomb. And if you're wondering why I mentioned the flat-bladed mace and did not show it, that's revealed in the next chapter.

As for the mithril armor, that'll come later. For the record, a dō is the Japanese version of chest armor. I'm more than likely going to be using the Japanese terms when describing the different pieces of armor later on.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	6. Extracting and paying a wergild

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 6: Extracting and paying a wergild

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Fellowship)

For the longest moment, no one said anything. Then Gandalf did. "Fool of a Took!" he declared, snapping the tome shut and placing it on the tomb before yanking his staff and hat out of Pippin's grasp. "Throw yourself in next time and rid us of your stupidity!"

"I'm sorry, I—" Pippin tried to say.

"Pippin, don't," Sasuke told him, cutting him off. "There's nothing you could say that will fix what you've done."

"I'm sorry," he said again before falling silent.

But in silence, they heard something come up from the well: the sound of drums. It was slow at first. But then it began to get louder and then, it diversified. One series of drums would sound off and another would reply. Once all the drums had been sounded, they began to beat as one again. And with this rejoining of drums, distant sounds that were like voices echoed all around them.

They looked around the room, trying to figure out where the voices were echoing from. Sasuke tried to listen, but they kept echoing off the walls, making it seem they were everywhere. _"Whatever it is, it sounds like a lot of them,"_ he thought to himself.

As the drums faded away and the voices grew, a bad feeling grew inside of Frodo. He reached down for Sting and drew it slightly out of its sheath. It glowed blue. "Frodo!" said Sam, seeing the glowing blade.

Everyone else saw the blade as well. At that exact moment, the echoing voices swelled into a chorus that did not sound right to their ears. "Orcs!" declared Legolas.

Boromir was the first to act, running to the door to see what was coming towards them. Sasuke followed him and pulled him just slightly back so that the arrows that were shot at the door did not pierce him. "You okay?" he asked the man from Gondor.

"I am fine!" Boromir replied. His attention stayed focused on what was coming their way, despite the arrows that were lodged in the door.

The raven-haired shinobi saw the same thing. He unsealed a kunai, attached an explosive tag (which only left him with one, for he had used the rest of the small amount sparingly over the ten years) to it, and threw it. The resulting explosion only faintly rattled the room, shaking loose a few cobwebs here and there. "Did that get him?" he asked.

The smoke cleared quickly enough. "I would say no," the Captain-General replied.

"Get back!" Aragorn told the four hobbits. "Stay close to Gandalf!" As the Wizard ushered the four of them back, the Ranger tossed down the torch he was carrying and went for the door, joining Boromir and Sasuke there.

Between the three of them, they managed to close the door fast enough to only hear a distant bellow. "They have a cave troll!" Boromir declared.

"_So that was that was,"_ Sasuke thought to himself, having read about trolls. He'd thought it be a bit smaller. Maybe it was the distance. "Toss some of those axes over here, Legolas!" he told the elf prince. "We need to barricade the door!"

Legolas did so, tossing two long-shafted axes at Aragorn and Boromir, who immediately wedged them along the lock on the door. Sasuke grabbed two pikes and placed them against the doors themselves, adding weight to the barricade.

It wasn't much of a barricade and it wouldn't hold long (as the banging on the door indicated). But it held long enough for them to back up and prepare themselves, Aragorn and Legolas drawing their bows and nocking arrows, Boromir unslinging his shield from his back onto his arm, and Sasuke drawing out his chokutō.

Tossing his hat aside, Gandalf drew Glamdring with a war cry, the blade glowing just like Sting. In response, the hobbits drew their swords as well. Gimli had climbed up onto his cousin's tomb, taking the battle-axe in hand. "AGH!" he shouted, ready for a fight. "Let them come! There is one Dwarf yet in Moria who still draws breath!"

The banging against the door soon turned into chopping, making the eyes of the hobbits go wide in realization. _"They're hacking down the door!"_ Frodo thought with no small amount of fear.

The goblins that were outside the door were indeed trying to get in by chopping it down. At first, a few splinters fell off but those splinters got bigger and bigger as the chopping sounds went on. Before long, a point of crudely-forged weapon cut a hole through the door. There was one hole and then there was another, and then another, each bigger than the last. Still, those in the Fellowship with bows did not react.

Finally, there was a big enough of a hole for an entire spear-shaft to go through with ample space left behind. Legolas fired off his arrow into the hole, killing the goblin holding the spear with a screech. Not one to waste time, he pulled out another arrow.

Aragorn fired off an arrow himself in that time, killing another goblin. But by the time Legolas had nocked another arrow, the door was broken open and the goblins flooded in. Both Legolas and Aragorn got in a few more arrows (even managing to pierce one of them through a goblin's nose), but the goblins had reached them after that.

As Gimli bellowed out a war cry and Aragorn drew his sword, Sasuke caught a blade with his own and swiftly beheaded the goblin facing him. _"One down…"_ he thought.

The battle quickly became chaotic. When Gandalf shouted out a war cry and charged into the fray, the four hobbits behind him did the same. They proved quite the capable fighters, using the advantage of their height (as they were smaller than the goblins) against their foes. Pippin seemed to be especially ferocious. When the others saw him fight, they would later think that he was trying to make up for his mistake.

At times, the separate members of the Fellowship felt that they were alone in a sea of goblins. While they could see the others, they kept getting obscured by the goblins. The only who didn't have this problem was Gimli, as he was still standing on the tomb and swinging at any goblin that was stupid to get close (and goblins were never known for their size of brains).

At one point, Sasuke found himself beside Pippin and noticed the aggressive way the hobbit fought. "Keep a cool head, Pippin," the shinobi told him sharply. "You're liable to end up dead if you don't."

The Took didn't say anything in reply, but he began to fight less aggressively after hearing those words. Crabandir nodded in acknowledgement to him but then had to return to the fighting, lest he was killed by a lack of paying attention (and that was _not_ the way he was going to die).

His chokutō was an immense help to him, as its superior craftsmanship damaged many of the goblins' weapons (which at best could only be called crude. He wasn't even a weapons prude and he could tell that). The looks of surprise the goblins had on their faces when they saw their weapons all but destroyed always gave him enough time to kill them. If it wasn't for the fact that he was practically surrounded and more kept coming in, his sword and his **Sharingan** would've made this easy.

He paid no real attention to the others as he fought (save to mark their location and try to come to their aid if they need it, like Pippin). But one of them paid attention to him. It happened when one of the goblins aimed for his head with a weapon. He held the weapon in check with his own, but was a little surprised to see that the weapon was made of bronze and good quality too. "Stay your blade, Sasuke, and send that one to me!" Gimli shouted out at him.

"Why would I do that when I can kill him right here?" he shouted back while also burying his foot in the face of another goblin, crushing it.

"He's wielding my cousin's mace! I mean to mean to teach him why he shouldn't have done that," the dwarf explained shortly while he also beheaded a goblin who had tried to hack off his legs.

That was fair enough. "Here you go!" He broke the hold with the goblin, grabbed him by the shoulders (surprising him), and shoved him to the son of Glóin.

The goblin shrieked at the dwarf and tried to use the weapon he had stolen from a dead dwarf's tomb, for the weapon to be knocked from his grasp by one axe. And while he stared with a stunned expression at his hand, his head was removed by the other axe. "That was for Balin!" Gimli declared,

In the midst of the fighting, Sam broke free of the flood and found himself near the door. He would've moved to return to the fighting but paused when he heard something he had never heard before. Both Aragorn and Boromir looked to the door, having heard the sound many times before.

Being led into the chamber on a chain pulled by two goblins, was the cave troll Boromir spoke of before the fighting began. Hefting a rather crude club, the troll roared at everything in there. _"Huh, he's big,"_ Sasuke silently noted, already analyzing everything about the creature with the **Sharingan**.

Legolas didn't waste any time in firing off an arrow at the troll, hitting it in the lower shoulder. But that only made it angrier. Roaring again, it took a few steps forward and saw Sam. When the hobbit saw the troll raise its hammer, he shouted in equal parts fear and adrenaline and then leapt in between the troll's legs, just as the hammer came down.

When the troll turned around to find the crawling hobbit, Sasuke could already see what it was planning to do. _"Not good."_ Trying to think of and find a way to stop it from happening, his eyes fell on the chain, still being held by the goblins. With two swift strokes, he killed them and the chain fell to the ground. "Aragorn, Boromir!" he shouted to the two men as he grabbed the chain. "Help me out!"

They saw what he was trying to do and quickly fought their way over to the chain, grabbing hold of it. "Pull!" Aragorn ordered as the troll raised its foot to squash Sam. The three of them pulled as hard as they could, and it worked.

The chain was attached to a collar on the troll's neck. It pulled the toll back a step or two away from Sam (allowing the hobbit to get away safely). It roared as it was pulled back and turned around, swinging the club at the people holding the chain.

Both Aragorn and Sasuke had let go of the chain when they saw it start to turn. But Boromir was still holding on when the club was swung. He ducked and avoided it, but became slightly dazed in the process and when he stood back up he realized too late that he was still holding the chain.

The troll saw him still holding on and swung the chain with its free hand, making the man from Gondor drop his sword as he was flung toward a wall. He crashed against the wall and landed briefly on the upper level before falling back down to the floor. He was still dazed when he saw a goblin standing over him with a blade raised with obvious intent. His life would've ended right then and there had Aragorn not thrown his sword into the goblin's neck. Shaking himself out of the daze, he looked at the Ranger, who gave him a brief nod before going back to the fight. He pulled his sword out of the goblin and joined the fight again.

When he let go of the chain, Sasuke had tried to get in close to the troll and eliminate it. But the goblins must've realized that he was the greatest danger of the ten and so swarmed him, pushing him away from the troll and keeping him busy. "Help please!" he called out.

"I am coming!" Gandalf assured him, starting to fight his way through the goblins to his side. "Merry, Pippin, keep Frodo safe!" the Wizard told the two hobbits. They nodded in acknowledgement and fought their way over to the Ringbearer. Once they were by his side, they moved to a safe part of the upper levels. Legolas, who had climbed up there on the opposite side of the room, saw them and began fighting his way towards them.

When he saw the troll coming his way, Gimli threw one of his smaller axes at it. It struck it in the shoulder (actually splitting Legolas's previous arrow in half), but it only made the troll angrier. When he saw the club rise up, Gimli knew there was only one option left to him. _"Forgive me, cousin,"_ he silently prayed before leaping off the tomb just as the club smashed it to pieces, desecrating it. Thankfully, the tome had flown off the tomb had landed safely (and yet, ironically) in the grasp of a dead goblin.

He got back up and fought off the nearby goblins while also trying to stay from the troll, who was following him and swinging the club. The swings were wild and were more inclined to hit goblins rather than the dwarf. But when Gimli stumbled away from a goblin's sword and fell to the ground, the troll seemed to have him.

That is, until Legolas nocked two arrows to his bow and shot them at the troll. They hit the big creature with such a force that it fell back, almost tripping over its own chain, and dropped its hammer. Gimli, now safe from immediate troll danger, got back up to his feet and attacked the goblins again.

The elf was still trying to fight his way over to the hobbits when the troll took notice of him. It began to swing its chain in the air like a whip, aiming for the elf. When Legolas saw the incoming chain, he ducked and avoided it. Two more times the troll swung its chain and he dodged it each time.

It was on the fourth time that he got lucky. The chain wrapped itself around one of the pillars after missing him. Acting quickly, Legolas placed his boot on the chain, stopping the troll from pulling it free. Using his agility and speed, he ran up the chain onto the top of the troll. Keeping his balance on the struggling creature, he nocked an arrow and shot it directly at the troll's head.

It did nothing, except shatter the arrow and make the troll mad enough to snap free of the chain while the elf leapt off and landed back on the ground. _"Did he really think that would work?"_ Sasuke asked himself as he tried to fight his way out of the goblins swarming around him (which was somewhat working with help from Gandalf). He knew that shooting directly at the head on a creature like that would be next to impossible; the bone would be too thick.

The sound of a pan hitting something filled the shinobi's ears. He looked over to where the sound was coming from and saw a particular sight. Sam had taken a frying pan out of the gear on his back and was banging goblins on the head with it. It was effective as the goblins were stunned long enough for the hobbit to stab them. "I think I'm getting the hang of it," Sam said aloud, but to himself.

Had that been any other time, Sasuke might've permitted himself a chuckle and a small smirk at those words. But it wasn't any other time and he had a swarm to cut through. He did, however, make a small note to himself. _"Never introduce that hobbit to the women of the Nara clan."_ Then he noticed something else. _"Where did the troll go?"_

His answer came in the form of Pippin, who had shouted in fright. As he and Merry were trying to keep Frodo out of harm's way, the troll found them and made its way over to them, rising its club and then bringing it down onto the part of the upper level they were standing on, making them split apart by jumping away from the club, Merry and Pippin to one side and Frodo to the other. "Guys!" the shinobi shouted out to any in range who heard him.

Aragorn heard him and also saw the troll. "Frodo!" he called out to the hobbit and began fighting his way over to him. Sasuke did the same, cutting through the swarm (which had less numbers now).

As the troll began looking for the single hobbit (its tiny brain realized the fact that one was easier to catch then two), Frodo hid behind a column. He looked beyond the edge a little to see the troll. When he saw that it pulled back and he saw its hand change its grip, he knew that it would check the other side. So when its head disappeared, he quickly went around two sides to hide again.

It was successful and the troll didn't see him. When it pulled back again, he moved again. However, he only moved to the next side. He looked beyond the edge, saw nothing, and breathed a sigh of relief. However, he did not think a troll would ever consider the notion of double-checking.

But the troll did, and it also knew the concept of surprise, for it threw its head into the hobbit's sight and roared in his face, making him yelp in surprise and fall to the ground on his back. As the troll reached for him, he tried to back away only to back himself into the corner. The troll grabbed ahold of him and tried to pull him down to the lower level.

He tried to grab hold of something that would stop this from happening, but found nothing. "Aragorn! Sasuke!" he cried out for help.

Aragorn (who, at some point, had snatched a spear from one of the goblins) was the closer of the two and he was able to see the danger the hobbit was in. "Frodo!" he shouted out as he fought his way over. Sasuke could see the danger too and fought harder, almost free of the swarm.

Just as the troll was about to pull him off the upper level, the hobbit struck its hand with Sting, making it release its grip on him. The downsides of that idea were that he fell to the lower level and the troll did not pay much attention to the small wound on its hand. It raised it club, intent on bringing it down on the hobbit.

'That was when Aragorn leapt down with the spear and stabbed it into the troll's torso. The troll screamed in pain and dropped its club. Both Pippin and Merry tried to help Aragorn by throwing stones at the troll.

Sasuke had gotten free of the swarm that had been hounding him and raced toward the troll. "Merry! Pippin! Behind you!" he shouted up to the stone-throwing hobbits. A group of goblins were heading for the two hobbits, hoping to take them unawares. But they heard the shinobi's words and turned to the group with their swords ready.

Seeing that they were taking care of themselves, Sasuke turned his attention back to the troll, who still had the spear stuck in its torso with Aragorn holding it there. The shinobi dived into a roll with his chokutō at the ready, aiming for just underneath the troll's legs. The idea he had was that if he managed to pierce of the legs, and by channeling his lighting chakra through the sword, he could probably saw the leg off in a matter of seconds.

But as the troll kept moving around and trying to get the spear out, the position of Sasuke's roll became misplaced and he realized it too late, just when he came out of the roll and thrust his sword upwards. Because of the misplacement, the sword had pierced something else and thus, history was made. For never before in the years of Middle-Earth had anyone shoved a sword up a troll's ass.

As he stared up at where he had placed the sword (with his hand still gripping it, nonetheless), the only thought Sasuke had was, _"This is something Naruto would do, not me!"_

With a roar of pain, the troll knocked Aragorn away, sending him right into a nearby column and knocking him unconscious. Not wanting to get stepped on, Sasuke pulled out the sword and got out of the way in the opposite direction of Aragorn. But that turned out to be a bad idea.

Frodo had crawled over to Aragorn and tried to shake him awake while the troll finally yanked out the spear. When it didn't work, he tried to get out of the confined area, only to have the troll block his path with the spear. The troll then pushed him back up against the wall and then stabbed him in the chest.

It was the gasp of pain that drew the attention of the conscious members of the Fellowship. When the spear imbedded in Frodo's chest, the world seemed to slow down and then stop. The troll seemed to sneer at the hobbit one last time before releasing its grip on the spear. Merry and Pippin (who were still on the upper level) grasped their swords in a reverse-grip and leapt onto the back of the troll with a shout. Once they on the troll, they began stabbing it in the back. The troll roared pain and began to spin around, trying to get them off.

Sam could only stand in his place and look at his master and friend. "Frodo," he said in shocked horror, only a getting a groan of pain in response. "Frodo!" he shouted, rushing towards the hobbit. He fought with a rage he didn't he had, using both sword and pan to devastating effect. In fact, the sight of Frodo brought a similar rage to everyone still fighting (hence, why Merry and Pippin had jumped onto the troll), which scared the rest of the goblins out of the room. It only intensified when Frodo fell to the ground, the spear still imbedded in his chest.

Both Merry and Pippin held onto the troll as they kept stabbing it, even as it kept swerving around, trying to reach them. It got lucky and grabbed Merry by his legs, holding him upside down in the air. He had dropped his sword and was screaming for help while it felt like his legs were about to be crushed.

The others saw his plight and rushed to attack the dwarf. Boromir stayed to the back perimeter so the troll could not escape while Gimli, Gandalf, Legolas, and Sasuke attacked. They were forced to dart in and out so they could avoid the reach of the troll's arms. But because of this tactic, most of their strikes did not hit the troll.

Gimli was the first one to strike it, slicing an axe through its thigh while its back was turned to him. The troll whirled around, briefly touching the wound with the free hand, and then pulled it back to anchor for a swipe. That was when Gandalf struck, slicing a wound open on its side. In its surprise, the troll let go of Merry, who fell to the floor with a thud and pained groan.

Gandalf struck again before moving back and then Gimli moved forward to strike. But while he got one, the troll struck back and sent him crashing to the floor. Legolas had an arrow nocked and aimed at the troll, but it saw the arrow and took a swipe at the elf, forcing him back.

Trying to get in close to pierce the troll, Sasuke had an idea and backed off. "Pippin, make him scream!" he told the hobbit still on the troll while pulling a knife and his last explosive tag. Pippin did as he was ordered and stabbed the troll in the neck, making it bellow in pain. The minute its mouth was open, Sasuke threw the knife into the maw and saw it pierce the roof of the mouth. "Jump off!" he shouted at Pippin.

The hobbit did jump off and just in time too. The head of the troll exploded with such a sound that it rattled the ceiling. Whatever blood and guts that spewed out of the gap where its head used to be was small and hit only the ceiling. The now headless troll fell to the ground, dead.

But their attention was not on the troll, it was Frodo. Aragorn (who had regained consciousness) crawled to him. "Oh no!" he said in a quiet voice while Sam looked on.

But when he reached out and rolled Frodo over, the hobbit let a groaned breath of life. Sam was instantly at his side, seeing if there was anything wrong. "He's alive!" he declared to the rest of the Fellowship, deeply relieved.

"I'm alright," Frodo said, panting slightly as he sat up. "I'm not hurt."

"You should be dead," Aragorn told him. "That spear would've skewered a wild boar!"

"I think there's more to this hobbit than meets the eye," Gandalf remarked with the faintest hint of a smile on his face.

Frodo was already going for his shirt, undoing the first couple of buttons to show them what was beneath it. "Mithril!" said Gimli as he looked at the shirt of the precious metal Frodo was wearing. "You are full of surprises, Master Baggins!"

Whatever else could've been said at that moment was overridden by the screeching of goblins. They all looked to the smashed door and saw the growing shadows of reinforcements. "To the Bridge of Khazad-dûm!" announced Gandalf.

They all stood up to run. "Wait!" cried Gimli as he ran over to one of the goblin corpses and took the tome from its grasp. "This must go back to King Dáin! He must know of what happened here!"

Sasuke went to his side, pulling out the same scroll he had sealed the armor in. "Give it here!" he ordered the dwarf, unwrapping the scroll to a free space. Gimli placed the tome on the scroll and it was quickly sealed. "Now let's go!"

They ran out of the chamber through a hole near the back, just right of where the light was shining through. But as they ran, the goblins returned in force, a much bigger force. They could hear the screeching behind them and when one of them looked back (one of the hobbit mostly), they could see the horde following them. It was enough to make them not look back.

But that wasn't all they were coming from. They also came out of the floor and the ceiling, crawling down the columns like spiders in a web. As they ran, it became more and more obvious that they were becoming surrounded. It was soon proven true when they found that the only open space they had left was the circle of light that emitted from Gandalf's staff.

"This does not bode well for us," Gimli said. "But I plan to take many goblins with me!"

"Don't be so sure of that," Sasuke told him, his **Sharingan** alight and searching. "Gandalf, how far away are we to the bridge?" he asked the Wizard.

Gandalf looked at him. "The passage is just over there," he answered with a jerk of his head in a direction. In that direction, past the horde of goblins, was a doorway.

"Alright then, I'll probably be able to carve a path to there. But all of you will have to stay close." He took a deep breath to ready himself.

"What are you planning to do, Sasuke?" Boromir asked him.

"Something I haven't done in over a decade." He sheathed his sword and began to channel his chakra when things changed.

A low growl that seemed to engulf the entirety of the cavernous hall filled the air. From one end, a dark smoky orange started to appear. But that was not what surprised the Fellowship. What surprised them was the fact that the goblins were now scared.

Shrieks of terror and confusion began to fill the air all around them as the goblins looked upwards, trying to figure out what was happen. Another growl, louder this time, filled the air and the confusion was quickly replaced with just terror. They scattered, running back into the cracks in the floor and ceiling from where they came.

Gimli shouted triumphantly at their backs as they ran. But even his shouts faded away when the goblins disappeared and all that was left the smoky orange glow. A slow growl dragged through the air, feeling longer then what it was to the ears of the Fellowship.

Now that the goblins were all gone, their focus was on the glow that was slowly but steadily approaching them. Legolas had an arrow nocked and pointed at the glow, but his hands were trembling, showing how uncertain he was of the glow.

He wasn't alone in that feeling. "What is this new devilry?" Boromir asked Gandalf, standing behind the Wizard.

He did not answer right away. Instead, he closed his eyes and the Fellowship waited for his answer (Legolas had lowered the bow and put the arrow back in his quiver). Sasuke had seen the look on Gandalf's face before. It was the same kind of face Orochimaru or even Kakashi had worn while they were in deep concentration. But there was a subtle difference between them and the Grey Wizard. If the raven-haired shinobi had to guess, he would say the old man was reaching out with his mind, or something close to that idea.

It must've been the case, for the growl returned, louder and more menacing, just as Gandalf opened his eyes again. "A Balrog, s demon of the ancient world," he finally answered Boromir's question. For those who knew what that was, looks of terror appeared in their eyes.

When he said those words, the glow kept coming closer. Sasuke had a chilling thought. Why were they seeing any shape or form of a body? Was it so immense that the glow actually was ahead of the body?

"This foe is beyond any of you," Gandalf told them all. If he wasn't distracted by the glow, Sasuke might've disagreed with that sentiment. "RUN!"

That single shout set them off, running towards the doorway the Wizard had pointed out to the shinobi. Whatever was coming their way seemed to notice, as they heard a loud roar at their backs. But no one wanted to look to see if there was a body that came with that roar. They just kept running.

When they got to the doorway, Gandalf and Aragorn ushered the others through it, pushing them through with their hands. Boromir took the lead through the passage, going down the steps quickly. But when he came out into a large cavern, he realized almost too late that the staircase that went straight down was gone. He stopped on the last stepped, failing his arms somewhat to maintain his balance, dropping the torch he was carrying into the abyss.

Legolas pulled him back away from the abyss and they fell back onto the staircase. "Now is not the time to be lying around!" Gimli told the two of them even as he helped them back onto their feet. "Take the stairs to the side, the side!" Those who heard him immediately went to the side stairs.

Sasuke and Aragorn were still at the passageway, waiting for the last member of the Fellowship. "Gandalf!" said Aragorn, grabbing the Wizard's shoulder when he looked like he was about to fall.

"Lead them on, Aragorn," Gandalf told him. "The bridge is near!" Both the Ranger and the shinobi looked at what he talking about. The Ranger looked to argue, but the Wizard would have none of it. "Do as I say! Swords are no more use here!"

They ran down the side staircase, Sasuke taking to the back. As it turned, the Fellowship realized that its path went in the same direction as the broken staircase Boromir almost fell off. The growl of the unseen Balrog kept their feet moving. But their feet stopped when they came to a gap that had broken the staircase.

Legolas was the first to jump across, landing on the other side and then looking back up. The sound of something slamming into the rock filled their ears, making them look back. The passageway came alight with the orange glow and rocks began to fall from the ceiling. "Gandalf!" urged Legolas.

The Wizard looked back to the stairs and jumped just as they heard another roar. He landed safely, but then arrows started flying. They all looked at where the arrows were coming from and saw a group of goblins on a faraway ledge with bows nocked with arrows. One arrow struck the step just beneath the feet of Merry and Pippin. Both Legolas and Sasuke reacted, the elf with his own bow and Sasuke with his stash of knives sealed away in his wrist.

"Merry! Pippin!" shouted Boromir just before he grabbed the two hobbits and leapt. They landed safely, but the portion of stair they had been on broke off and fell into the abyss. The gap between the two stairs was now much larger and jumping wasn't that easy anymore. The goblins kept up their assault, forcing Legolas and Sasuke to respond in kind. Sasuke had to be careful, he was running out of knives and it didn't look like the goblins would be stopping.

"Sam," Aragorn called out to the hobbit, grabbing hold of him and then toss him to the other side, where Boromir was able to catch him.

When the Ranger went to do the same thing with Gimli, the dwarf stopped him with a raised hand. "Nobody tosses a Dwarf!" he declared before leaping with a shout. He landed wrong and Legolas had to grab him by the beard to keep him from falling. "Not the beard!" he instantly protested. He was still pulled to safety by the elf.

Aragorn had pulled out his own bow and fired off one of his own arrows just as the stairs beneath him began to give way. "Frodo!" he called to the hobbit, pushing him up the stairs. Sasuke helped by grabbing Frodo and pulling him up. As Aragorn tried to follow, the stairs continue to fall, making him end up holding on by his arms. But he quickly got back onto his feet.

The problem they were facing was much more obvious. The gap between the two staircases had been widened even more, making jumping downright suicidal. Both Aragorn and Frodo were leaning back to avoid falling and once he had run out of knives to throw, Sasuke had also taken their stance. "Steady!" Aragorn told the two of them. "Hold on!"

"That's what we're doing, Aragorn," Sasuke told him with the smallest amount of sarcasm the situation would allow.

Another loud growl was heard and more rocks fell from the ceiling. One large rock struck the flat portion of the staircase the three were balancing on, smashing through and making the declining portion an island. What was worse was the pillar holding that particular portion of the staircase began to weaken and crumble. It began to move in accordance to how the three of them shifted their balance.

"Hang on!" Aragorn said to Frodo and Sasuke as they tried to keep the stairs from falling the wrong way. The pillar continued to crack and break, creating a groaning sound and making more dangerous for them. "Lean forward!" the Ranger told them, shifting his weight forward. The other two did as he did and with a groan, the pillar fell forward. It fell closer and closer to the rest of the Fellowship and just as it smashed into the lower staircase, they jumped into friendly arms.

As the pillar fell into the abyss, breaking into pieces as it fell, the Fellowship raced down the rest of the staircase, hurrying along so that they would not have the same problem twice. As they reached the bridge, Sasuke got a closer look at it. It was a single, narrow stone bridge with nothing to protect anyone from falling off. He had no doubt in his mind that if a certain bridge builder he had known once had seen this bridge, he would've started ranting about the idiocy of those who built it.

"Over the bridge! Fly!" Gandalf commanded the Fellowship, urging them on with his staff and sword. Sasuke was the last one in the group, allowing the others to go first. But a loud growl at their backs made them stop in their tracks and turn to see a great fire blazing before them.

Out of that fire came something covered in smoke and fire. Sasuke had thought the orcs he had hunted through the years had been oni, but what towered over him put that frame of mind away for good. This was an oni. It had dark wings made of bones and black skin that showed flecks of fire beneath it. Shadows and smoke covered it like a cloak. Two horns curled downward on its head and when it roared at them, the back of its mouth was an inferno.

It took a step towards them and they remembered that they still had feet. They ran for the bridge and the Balrog followed them. But it was only when they started crossing the bridge that Gandalf had noticed that one of them had barely moved. "What are you doing, Sasuke?" he demanded.

"Get across that bridge, Gandalf," the shinobi told him, facing the Balrog. "I'm expendable, you're not. I can buy you some time to get out." He morphed his **Sharingan** into something he hadn't used in ten years: the **Mangekyō Sharingan**. He stepped forward, drew his chokutō, and activated his **Susanoo**.

The Fellowship watched he became engulfed in purple flames that rapidly took the shape of a heavily armored person, wielding a sword of black fire in its left hand. Sasuke was annoyed by the fact that, due to the height of the floor to the ceiling, there wasn't enough room for him to create a perfect form. But he could make do with what he had. He moved his jutsu forward to fight the Balrog, rising the sword up and swinging it down.

But when the Balrog met him, he realized that he had forgotten two important things. The first was that he hadn't used this jutsu in over ten years and had some rust with it. The second was that fire could match fire. The Balrog caught the sword with its bare hands and tore it apart like it was nothing. Since he had connected that sword with his chokutō, the chokutō shattered, making him drop the hilt with a hiss. The sheath, which had been in his other hand, began to grow hot, making him drop it as well.

The Balrog didn't stop there. It grabbed the left shoulder of the **Susanoo** and held it tightly. Orange fire began to mix with purple, overwhelming it and Sasuke began to feel the fire on his coat, burning through it. It burned enough of the coat that the sleeve fell off and he gave a brief noise of pain. But the Balrog didn't concern itself with that. It just raised its free fist and punched the **Susanoo**, shattering it with just that one punch.

Sasuke flew back when the jutsu shattered, landing hard and rolling limply a few times, tearing the coat even more so. He had rolled far enough that his arm and head dangled over the edge. As he tried to get his wits back and figure out what the hell had just happened, he felt a hand grab him by the coat and pulled back onto his feet. "Get across that bridge, Sasuke. You are outmatched. Now go!"

He could only do as he was ordered. He ran across the bridge, all but tearing off the coat as he ran (for it was still burning) and letting fall into the abyss. When he reached the end, he turned to see that Gandalf had stopped on the bridge and was facing the Balrog. "You cannot pass!" the Wizard told it.

"Gandalf!" shouted Frodo in horror from the stairs on the other side of the bridge.

The Balrog responded to his challenge by drawing itself up and revealing itself fully, using its own fire to illuminate what it was. But the Grey Wizard was not impressed. "I am a servant of the Secret Fire, wielder of the flame of Anor," he told the Balrog, raising his staff to create a shield of white light. In response, the Balrog drew a sword of flame from out of nowhere. "The Dark Fire will not avail you, flame of Udûn!"

The Balrog slammed its sword down against the shield. Sparks flew as the two battled for victory, but neither won. Both the shield and the sword faded away into nothing. The Balrog stepped back after losing the sword, but then stepped forward again and roared at Gandalf. "Go back to the Shadow!" the Wizard commanded.

The Balrog took another step forward, stepping onto the bridge. In its hand, it formed a whip of flame, swinging it around and snapping it in the air. In response, Gandalf lifted his arms and brought his staff and sword together. "You! Shall not! PASS!" he cried. He slammed the tip of his staff into the bridge and there brief flash of white light.

For a second, Balrog and Wizard looked at one another. Then the Balrog charged forward and it became obvious of what Gandalf did. The part of the bridge the Balrog was on broke apart, falling into the abyss below. The Balrog, completely surprised by this, could only fall with it. The rest of the Fellowship breathed a sigh of relief, Gandalf had beaten the Balrog!

The Wizard himself released a tired breath and turned away from the ruined bridge. And that was when the tide turned. In a last ditch effort, the Balrog swung its whip upward and caught the Wizard by the leg and pulled him down. Caught off guard by this, Gandalf fell down over the edge. He held on by his hands (for his sword and staff fell into the abyss), but the whip was still trying to pull him down.

Frodo tried to rush down to help, but Boromir caught him and held him back. "No!" the man from Gondor told him. "No!"

"Gandalf!" screamed the hobbit.

Sasuke was still at the end of the bridge and so he acted. He all but ran down the length of the ruined bridge and fell to his stomach when he was in reach of the end. "Gandalf, take my hand!" he told the Wizard, extending his right arm out.

Gandalf reached up and out to the hand. Their fingers almost touched when an arrow sailed down from above and pinned Sasuke's hand to the bridge. Shocked at the sudden feeling of pain, the shinobi looked at where they had come and saw goblins with bows standing there. "Legolas! Aragorn!" he shouted back at the elf and man as he pulled the arrow from the stone of the bridge and seeing the point was protruding from the palm.

But whatever he was going to say next died in his mouth when he saw the look on the Wizard's face. He had seen that look before. _"Don't do it,"_ he silently began to beg. _"Don't do it. Don't you dare it, old man!"_

But Gandalf did. "Fly, you fools!" he told them all before disappearing over the edge, when Sasuke looked over it, he saw the Wizard falling into the abyss.

"NOOOOOOO!" screamed Frodo as he watched the Wizard fall. He tried to break free of Boromir's grip, but the man refused to let go.

Instead, he picked up the hobbit and carried him as he ran up the stairs, following the rest of the Fellowship. "Aragorn! Sasuke!" he called out to the remaining people there, stopping for a moment before continuing upwards.

They heard his call and fell back up the stairs, avoiding the arrows the goblins shot at them. They quickly caught up to the rest of the Fellowship and together, they ran out the East Gate of Moria. As they felt the light of the sun on them and the feel of fresh air, their quick pace came to a stop as they realized what had just happened: they had lost Gandalf, a member of the Fellowship.

Sam sat down on a rock and started crying, for he could not help but remember all the good memories he had of the Wizard. Merry sat on a nearby rock, holding Pippin in his lap. The two hobbits were crying as well, but the Took more so. _"It's my fault,"_ he kept thinking to himself. _"All of this, it's my fault. It's all my fault."_

"Let go of me! Let me go!" Gimli shouted as he tried to get out of Boromir's grip. He wanted to go straight back into those Mines and attacked every single one of those goblins. "I'll kill them! I'll send them down into that abyss after them! Let me go!"

"Gimli, it's too late!" Boromir told the dwarf as he held him back. "It's too late! He's gone, there's nothing we can do! He's gone!" The dwarf only slightly stopped struggling. But now, he had tears in his eyes and started cursing in dwarfish.

Legolas could only stand there amidst the rocks. He had never thought he would see the day when a Wizard would fall. "Legolas," he heard Aragorn call out to him and turned to look at the Ranger, who was cleaning his sword. "Get them up." He did nothing for a second before going over to Merry and Pippin.

"Give them a moment, for pity's sake!" Boromir told Aragorn from where he stood over Gimli, who had fallen to the earth and started banging the rocks with the hilt of his axe.

"By nightfall, these hills will be swarming with orcs!" he told the man from Gondor in return. "We must reach the woods of Lothlórien." He sheathed his sword. "Come, Boromir, Legolas. Gimli, get them up!" He reached Sam and helped him stand. "On your feet, Sam," he told the hobbit, who nodded shakily in response.

Frodo had wandered away somewhat from the rest of the Fellowship, along with Sasuke. "Frodo? Frodo! Sasuke!" Aragorn called out after them.

They turned to look back at him. "We have some place to be, right?" Sasuke asked the Ranger in a controlled voice.

Aragorn only nodded once in agreement and went back to the rest of the Fellowship. "Sasuke," Frodo said, realizing something about the raven-haired man. "You still have the arrow in your hand."

The shinobi looked at the arrow; the area around the pierced part of his hand still dripped blood, but slowly. Without saying anything else, he snapped the back part of the arrow off and pulled out the rest of it. The scream that followed echoed throughout the area and even into the Mines. The Fellowship was never sure if it was a scream of anger, rage, pain, or sorrow.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I know that I said after five chapters, I would go back to writing Woken from Exile. But I can't let this drop now (plus, I'm still thinking of dropping Woken from Exile). So, I'm going to finish this and go from there.

I said that there would be some things that Sasuke wouldn't be able to handle. We've just met one. If I let him be able to overpower everything in Middle-Earth, it wouldn't be any fun to write.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	7. Under the trees

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 7: Under the trees

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Fellowship)

They made good time in getting down from the East Gate of Moria and into the fields that stood outside the woods. They did not stop there. They could not stop. They had to keep moving so they could find safety.

But as soon as they walked into the woods of Lothlórien, they did not feel safe. In fact, all they felt was silence. They could hear the woods all around them and they could see it, hearing the sounds of the animals that lived go about their lives and seeing the leaves fall off of the trees. But that was it. Anything just did not seem to be there.

Aragorn and Legolas led the way while Sasuke and Boromir took to the back. The blood from Sasuke's wound had turned dry and crusty, but the pain was still there. Even when he looked at the wound, he could tell that it would scar. He did not earn that scar, but he did deserve it. Gandalf had been right there and he couldn't save him. _"Now is not the time for that,"_ he silently berated himself. _"You must help the others find safety."_

"Stay close, young hobbits!" Gimli told the hobbits, as the five of them were the middle of the traveling group. The dwarf had his axe out and ready to use, but for what they didn't know. "They say that a great sorceress lives in these words. An Elf-witch of terrible power," he said to them, walking forward carefully. "All who look upon her fall under her spell and are never seen again."

Sasuke, who had heard those words, couldn't help but roll his eyes. _"You'd best hope Legolas didn't hear that, Gimli,"_ he thought to himself. It didn't look like the elf had heard the dwarf. He was still up at the front, following Aragorn in the path the Ranger made.

Unbeknownst to the shinobi and the dwarf, Frodo heard a voice in his head. _"Frodo,"_ it whispered his name. He looked around, trying to see where the voice was coming from but could see nothing. It was like a ghost or spirit in the wind. Then the voice spoke again and when it did, he saw a brief vision of blue eyes looking directly at him. _"Your coming to us is as the footsteps of doom. You bring great evil here, Ringbearer!"_

"Mr. Frodo?" Sam said to him, bringing him back to where he was. He didn't say anything to his gardener; he couldn't find any words to say. All he could do was keep walking forward.

"Well, here's one dwarf she won't ensnare so easily," Gimli declared. "I have the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a fox!" It was at that moment, two drawn arrows were pointed at his face, making him stop in his tracks. "Oh!"

He wasn't the only one. Elves with bows drawn and arrows nocked appeared out of nowhere. Everyone, even Sasuke, was surprised by their appearance (Legolas had his own bow drawn and nocked). If he had been alone, the shinobi would've tried to have gotten away, either by smoke bombs or grabbing one of the elves as a shield. But he didn't have any smoke bombs anymore and he couldn't leave the Fellowship alone with them.

"The dwarf breathes so loud, we could've shot him in the dark," one of the elves boasted as he walked forward towards Aragorn. It was obvious that he was the captain of the group.

The dwarf in question growled at those words, but that earned him the arrows getting closer to his face. "Aragorn, these woods are perilous!" he told the Ranger. "We should go back!"

"You have entered the realm of the Lady of the Wood," the elf captain said to Gimli. "You cannot go back." He looked at the rest of the elves with him. "Keep them under close guard," he ordered them.

They lowered their bows, but they still had arrows nocked. The Fellowship was forced to follow the captain as he led them deeper into the woods. They did where they were going and for the hobbits, that was a familiar but still uneasy feeling.

They walked all through the rest of the day and well into the night. When it came time to rest, they were led up onto a series of platforms in the trees, which they would learn were called flets. By that time, the attitude to them seemed to have changed somewhat. Aragorn, Legolas, Boromir, and Gimli stood before the elf captain, who spoke to Aragorn and Legolas in Elvish, (which they would later translate for the rest of the Fellowship). "Mae govannen, Legolas Thranduilion (Welcome Legolas, son of Thranduil)," he said to Legolas, briefly placing a hand on his heart.

"Govannas vîn gwennen le, Haldir o Lórien (Our Fellowship stands in your debt, Haldir of Lórien)," Legolas said in reply.

He looked past Boromir and at the other man there. "A, Aragorn in Dúnedain istannen le ammen (Oh, Aragorn of the Dúnedain, you are known to us)," he said in greeting.

"Haldir," Aragorn returned the greeting.

"So much for the legendary courtesy of the Elves," Gimli grumbled. Once he had stepped onto the flet, he had taken his helmet off. "Speak words we can all understand!" he practically ordered Haldir.

The elf captain merely turned his gaze onto him. "We have not had dealings with the Dwarves since the Dark Days."

"And do you know what this Dwarf says to that?" He spat something in Dwarfish that nobody wanted to or would translate.

But before any of the elves could do anything in response, a hand flew out and struck the dwarf hard on the head. "Baka," Sasuke said as he pulled his hand away. "Courtesy must been given as well as received." He wasn't even looking at the rest of the people there; he was looking out at the woods.

"Lad, you don't even know what I said!"

"I didn't need to. I could hear enough in your tone of voice," he said, turning around.

Haldir's eyes widened slightly when he saw the raven-haired man. "Hello again, Crabandir," he said in greeting.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the elf captain. "I know you, don't I? From seven years ago." He fell silent as he tried to remember. "Were you the one I had to literally pull out of an ambush?"

"No, that was my brother. You saved him and yet, you did not stay to fight off the orcs."

"I was tracking a different orc band that had taken children with them and had a three day lead on me."

It was a good enough of an answer for the elves, for said nothing else about it. In fact, the subject was completely changed. "You are wounded," Haldir noted, looking at his right hand.

"An arrow pierced it," he answered.

"And you have not tended to it."

"We didn't have the time. We were running for our lives and to safety."

He looked to one of the elves under his command. "Tend to his wound," he ordered. If the elf had a problem with the order, he did not say. Instead, he went straight over to Sasuke and began to do as he was ordered.

Haldir's gaze went past the hobbits as this happened and he stopped when his eyes met Frodo's. "You bring great evil with you," he told the hobbit with a coldness in his voice. He turned back to look at Aragorn. "You can go no further!"

He walked away and Aragorn went after him, silently telling the Fellowship to wait before walking away. The two of them started to speak rapidly, but quietly in Elvish while the others waited. Frodo sat on the platform in silence, looking around at the rest of the Fellowship. To his sadness, none of them held his gaze long.

"Gandalf's death was not in vain," Boromir told the hobbit from where he sat across from him, thinking that his silence was in sorrow (and perhaps it was). "Nor would he have you give up hope. You carry a heavy burden, Frodo. Don't carry the weight of the dead."

Sasuke was nearby with a freshly bandaged hand. When he heard those words, he had to restrain himself from snorting in derision. _"For some of us, Boromir, we have no choice in carrying the dead,"_ he thought to himself, thinking of his clan (and his brother).

The hushed voices stopped and Haldir came back to them. "You will follow me," he told all of them. They stood up and followed him through the trees, always walking on the flets. They did not ask where they were going or how long they would be walking in fear that he would just leave them there, alone in a strange place to most of them.

After what seem like an hour or three to them, they finally stopped on a flet that almost looked the same as all the others, with the only difference being an actual roof over their hands. "You will rest here for the night," Haldir told them.

He left them alone with a few guards to keep watch and they began to settle in. No one said anything as they made themselves comfortable. The silence was broken when Gimli saw a harp nearby, went over to it, picked it up, and began tuning it. "What are you doing, Gimli?" Legolas asked him. The elves who kept watch paid closer attention to him.

"Playing a dwarf song of lamentation," he answered, still tuning the harp. "Gandalf deserves that much." Once he was done tuning, he began to play it and sing.

(Start I See Fire)

Oh, misty eye of the mountain below  
>Keep careful watch of my brother's souls<br>And should the sky be filled with fire and smoke  
>Keep watching over Durin's sons<p>

If this is to end in fire  
>Then we should all burn together<br>Watch the flames climb high into the night  
>Calling out father oh stand by and we will<br>Watch the flames burn auburn on  
>The mountain side high<p>

And if we should die tonight  
>We should all die together<br>Raise a glass of wine for the last time  
>Calling out father oh<br>Prepare as we will  
>Watch the flames burn auburn on<br>The mountain side

Desolation comes upon the sky

Now I see fire  
>Inside the mountain<br>I see fire  
>Burning the trees<br>And I see fire  
>Hollowing souls<br>I see fire  
>Blood in the breeze<br>And I hope that you'll remember me

Oh, should my people fall then  
>Surely I'll do the same<br>Confined in mountain halls  
>We got too close to the flame<br>Calling out father oh  
>Hold fast and we will<br>Watch the flames burn auburn on  
>The mountain side<p>

Desolation comes upon the sky

Now I see fire  
>Inside the mountains<br>I see fire  
>Burning the trees<br>And I see fire  
>Hollowing souls<br>I see fire  
>Blood in the breeze<br>And I hope that you'll remember me

And if the night is burning  
>I will cover my eyes<br>For if the dark returns then  
>My brothers will die<br>And as the sky is falling down  
>It crashed into this lonely town<br>And with that shadow upon the ground  
>I hear my people screaming out<p>

And I see fire  
>Inside the mountains<br>I see fire  
>Burning the trees<br>I see fire  
>Hollowing souls<br>I see fire  
>Blood in the breeze<p>

I see fire (fire)  
>Oh, you know I saw a city burning out<br>And I see fire (fire)  
>Feel the heat upon my skin<br>And I see fire (fire)  
>Uhhhhhhhhh<br>And I see fire  
>Burn auburn on the mountain side<p>

(End I See Fire)

Everyone who had heard him sing was stunned to hear it. They did not think that he would have such a clear voice. But it was more than that. It was the song he sung. "That…was beautiful, Gimli," Merry told him. "Whoever wrote that should be praised for creating such a song."

"When I return, I'll be sure to pass on your words to Bombur," he replied as he set the harp down. "He wrote it in honor to Thorin Oakenshield after the Battle of the Five Armies."

"Bombur?" repeated Legolas with a small look of concentration, remembering the dwarf in question. "You mean the fattest dwarf of Thorin's Company?"

"Say what you will about his weight and eating habits, but that dwarf has the skill and soul of a musician. It's only a pity he did not use it more." His face fell a little. "And I know it isn't exactly right for Gandalf, but I could think of no other way to sing for him."

No one said anything against him, no one could. The grief of losing Gandalf was still there. Not even the elves that lived in the woods said anything against him and the song he had played and sang. The rest of the night was spent in silence, for the Fellowship fell asleep and dreamed. But they all dreamed the same dream: Gandalf falling again and again.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after a quick breakfast, Haldir came for them again. They descended from the flet and walked along the forest floor. It was a walk in silence with elves to their front and their back and took the better part of the day. Had sorrow not plagued them, they might've seen the beauty of the woods around them much more than they did now.<p>

They finally stopped when they crested a hill and saw the land beneath them. Before, just beyond the valley created by the hill it was on and the hill they stood on, were great trees place so close together, it was almost hard to see where one ended and another began. "Caras Galadhon, the heart of Elvendom on Earth, realm of the Lord Celeborn and of Galadriel, Lady of Light," Haldir said as he looked upon it, a breath of wonder in his voice.

When they went down the hill, went across the valley, and entered the place, Sasuke could only look around and admit to one thing. _"This is what a true village in the leaves should look like."_ For this place was built into the trees, not just surrounding them. If the Shodaime Hokage could see this place, would he be inspired or jealous?

They were led to a staircase that spiraled upwards into one of the largest trees there. So long was their climb that even as they climbed, the light of the sun outside the woods set and the day turned into night. And they still climbed. After a climb that lasted a long time for the Fellowship, they came out of the staircase to see a hall nestled in thick tree branches.

Haldir led them into the hall, to a platform that was before a staircase. As they waited, a glowing light at the top of the stairs began to brightened, getting their attention. Two elves, clothed in silver and white, slowly and gracefully descended down the stairs, holding each other's hands. They were Celeborn and Galadriel, who ruled Lothlórien.

"The Enemy knows you have entered here," Celeborn told them as he and Galadriel stood before them. "What hope you had in secrecy is now gone." He looked at each one of them more closely. "Eight that are here, yet ten set out from Rivendell. Tell me, where is Gandalf? For I much desire to speak with him. I can no longer see him from afar."

"Gandalf the Grey did not pass the borders of this land," Galadriel spoke softly, yet the Fellowship could hear her easily enough. "He has fallen into shadow."

No one said a word, at first. It was all they could do to keep eye contact with her (some of them could not do it). It was Legolas who broke the silence and confessed. "He was taken by both Shadow and Flame. A Balrog of Morgoth, for we went needlessly into the net of Moria," he told the two of them, surprising them.

Gimli's face fell when he listened to those words. It had been his suggestion that they go through Moria. He had thought it would be safe. How wrong he was. "Needless were none of the deeds of Gandalf in life," Galadriel told Legolas. "We do not yet know his full purpose." Her eyes went over to the dwarf in the Fellowship. "Do not let the great emptiness of Khazad-dûm fill your heart, Gimli, son of Glóin," She said to him. "For the world has grown full of peril.

"And in all lands, love is now mingled with grief." Her eyes turned to look at Boromir. The man from Gondor and the elf of Lothlórien stared into each other's eyes. But he could not hold her gaze and he looked away with a gasp of breath.

"What now becomes of this Fellowship?" Celeborn asked. "Without Gandalf, all hope is lost."

"The quest stands on the edge of a knife," his wife said to the Fellowship. "Stray but a little and it will fail to the ruin of all." She looked at them all, seeing the troubles in their eyes. "Yet, hope remains while the Company is true. Do not let your hearts be troubled. Go now and rest, for you are weary with sorrow and much toil."

While she spoke, her eyes went over to Frodo and he heard her voice in his head. _"Welcome, Frodo of the Shire, one who has seen the Eye!"_ To his credit, he did nothing to show he had heard it.

"That may be," Celeborn said. "But as I said, eight that are here, yet ten set out from Rivendell. You are missing one more. Where is the stranger to Middle-Earth? Where is Crabandir?"

Surprised by this question, the Fellowship looked around and did not see Sasuke standing with them. "But, he was standing right here," Sam protested, pointing at a spot next to him. "He was here beside me."

If they had looked over the edge of the platform, they would've found him. He was the other side, plastered against it, looking straight down to the ground. "Do not be troubled, my love," he heard Galadriel say. "Crabandir is with the Fellowship and will not abandon them so easily." That was what she said aloud. What she said in his head was different. _"You do not need to fear me, Sasuke, son of Fugaku, heir to the Uchiha clan. I know you from before."_

"_Get out of my mind,"_ he practically ordered her. The faint presence that he felt inside his mind when she spoke disappeared. While he felt some relief, it was not complete. It wasn't her ability to speak inside his mind that made him plaster his back against the other side of the platform to hide from her. It was her eyes. He had seen those kinds of eyes before.

* * *

><p>Once they had met their host, they were escorted back down to the ground and to an area large enough for them to camp comfortably and sleep under a large pavilion next to a water fountain. All around them, as they finished preparing the camp, the woods echoed with the sound of sorrowful voices. "A lament for Gandalf," Legolas declared as he listened to the voices.<p>

Those who were still awake looked up at the trees, as if the voices were there. "Why do they say about him?" Merry asked the elf.

"I have not the heart to tell you," he said in reply. "For me, the grief is still too near."

"You're not the only one," Sasuke said shortly from he sat on the ground against a tree branch. He could still the old man hanging off the ruined bridge, trying to reach out and take his hand.

"I bet they don't mention his fireworks," Sam commented to Merry from where he knelt on the ground, trying to lay his bedding. "There should be a verse about them." He stood up and began to sing.

The finest rockets ever seen:  
>they burst in stars of blue and green.<br>or after thunder silver showers  
>came falling like a rain of flowers<p>

"Oh, that doesn't do them justice by a long shot," he admitted after that one verse, sitting back down. No one really said a word after that.

Some of them had noticed that Aragorn and Boromir were off to the side and talking with one another, but what they spoke of was none of their concern, especially Sasuke. Not wanting to see Gandalf's face before he fell again, the shinobi tried to get comfortable and fell asleep.

* * *

><p>He found himself laying on the riverbank of that oh-so-familiar valley. His entire world was nothing but pain and yet, it seemed like a faraway thing. He knew that there was a rock digging into his back, but it did not bother him. He was exhausted and yet not tired at all. All these things and more were what told him that he was dreaming of an old memory.<p>

The sound of someone wading through water filled his ears and he looked to the river to see the closet thing he had to a best friend and rival stand beside him. "Well, Naruto, congratulations. You've finally beaten me," he said.

The blonde said nothing, so he did. "So what will you do now? Will you kill me? Will you take me back to the village so I can stand trial for what I've done? Or will you bring me back and hope that the Hokage will forgive me and allow me to join the village again?"

"You know that probably won't happen, Sasuke," his friend said back, still standing.

"I know. You will kill me." It wasn't a question as it was a simple stating of the fact. "I doubt that many in the village will mourn my passing, probably just Sakura and a few die-hard Fangirls."

There was a small scowl on the blonde's face. "Did you just call Sakura a Fangirl?"

He couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. "I said Sakura _and_ a few die-hard Fangirls," he repeated himself. "Sakura is a kunoichi, now more than ever. There is a bit of difference, like the fact that she could and would punch those Fangirls into next year."

"Yeah, she can do that. I would know well enough." They shared a small chuckle at that, remembering better days.

But it wouldn't last. "It's past time this ended, Naruto. Just kill me." He took a breath and closed his eyes. "I am ready."

He waited in his personal darkness for the killing strike, for it to finally end. But instead, all he heard from Naruto was one word. "No."

He opened his eyes again. "What?"

"I said no." He reached down and pulled Sasuke up onto his feet. "I'm not going to kill you, Sasuke."

"You have to."

"No, I don't. You're my friend, Sasuke," he declared, clasping his other hand on his friend's shoulder. "Why would I want to kill my best friend?"

"It's not a matter of 'want to', but 'have to'. I am a criminal, Naruto. You can't just sweep that under the rug and pretend that it never existed."

"I'm not going to do that either."

"Then what are you going to do to me?" He couldn't help but ask the question with curiosity in his voice (as well as a small amount of fire).

"I won't do anything to you, Sasuke." He removed his hands. "But you will leave."

It was almost like he had spoken in a different language. "Leave?"

The blonde nodded. "I'm giving you this one chance to leave the Elemental Nations, for your own safety. Leave now so you can live. You know that the others won't be so merciful." He turned around and walked back across the river. "Goodbye, Sasuke."

He said nothing; he just followed the course of the river.

* * *

><p>He came awake with no failing out of his sleep or shouting in panic, surprise, or fear. In fact, he opened his eyes silently and stood up from where he laid in silence. This wouldn't be the first time he had this dream since coming to Middle-Earth and he knew what followed afterwards.<p>

He would follow the river until it emptied out into the sea. He did not know what country that had been in and he did not care. All he had cared about was that no one knew who he was there and that there was an Akatsuki hideout in there. He patched his wounds there and rested for a day.

As he rested, he was tempted to ignore what Naruto had all but ordered him to do and stay in the Elemental Nations. But he also knew that what the blonde had said was true, the other villages (and even Konoha probably) wouldn't hesitate to hunt him down. So the next day, after grabbing enough supplies to last him for a while and grabbing a cloak of the Akatsuki and a straw hat, he went down to the docks.

He was lucky in the fact that the first ship that he went to was in fact sailing out that day. He got himself passage and was in a comfortable bunk when the ship left the harbor and headed for Middle-Earth (though he didn't know that yet). It was on that ship that Sasuke figured out that when Naruto had grabbed his hand and clasped his shoulder, he sealed the power given to him by the Rikudō Sennin.

The ship made port in what he later knew as they Grey Havens, but he didn't stay there long enough for people to see him (which was why he only found out about Elves later). Once he was out and in the wilds, he decided to wander.

And even though he wandered, that dream still came to him. Sometimes, he briefly wondered why that was. But those moments were fleeting and he didn't pay them much heed. He was gone from the Elemental Nations and it wasn't likely he would return.

He looked around and saw that the rest of the Fellowship was still sleeping. The only exception was Frodo, for he wasn't there. _"Where did that hobbit get off to?"_ he asked himself before leaving to find out. He was able to go look mostly due to the fact that he could never go back to sleep after having that dream.

He wandered away from the area where the Fellowship slept and into Lothlórien itself. The voices were still singing and because there was no one else around, it made them feel even more haunting. At night, the woods could not have been more different from Konoha. The nightlife in Konoha was loud, boisterous, and full of good things for friends who want to hang out. Here, there was no nightlife and it gave the place an ethereal quality that was also somewhat chilling.

As he wandered, he couldn't help but think of that dream. What unnerved him about it every time he had it was not how he was so close to death and yet was given life or the choice Naruto made. No, what unnerved him the most was the look he had seen in the blonde's eyes as he had spoken. No matter how many times he had tried to mentally erase it, that damn look still kept appearing in his mind. It was the look that said, "No matter what you do or what people will say of you, you're still my best friend and I believe in you."

How many times had he let that idiot blonde down with his belief? And yet, he stills believes in him? It was like Kami was playing a bad joke with him and he didn't it funny. But still, he could always see those eyes and when he did, he felt…afraid.

The sound of footsteps that weren't his own walking on the grass snapped him out of his thoughts and back into the woods where he was. Frodo was walking his way with a slightly scared look on his face. For some reason he couldn't figure out, he hid himself and let the hobbit pass by.

"_Why did I just do that?"_ he asked himself as he pulled himself out of the hiding spot. He didn't know and it irked him. Another set of footsteps, sounding incredibly light, echoed through the silence of Lothlórien. He turned to see Galadriel walking away from him, casting a look back at him.

Not fully knowing why, he followed her. He didn't run to catch up with her; he instead kept his distance and always made sure that she was within eyesight. His following her led him to a wall of rocks that, at first appearance, had no entrance. But as he followed and saw how she entered, he realized that it was only a matter of perception. Once he changed that perception (by stepping to the left), he could see the entrance and entered it.

The passage beyond led to something that surprised him a lot: a rock garden. He hadn't seen one in ten years. What's more, this garden was beautifully done. No amateur had made it. The flow in the rocks was subtle and changed course before you even recognized that it had. The plants in and around the garden were the perfect choice for it. Whoever had done this was very talented and had good taste.

She was standing at the edge of the garden, looking at it all. When he stepped forward, she turned to him and smiled gently. "Welcome, Uchiha Sasuke," she greeted him in perfect Elemental.

He was a little surprised by hearing that speech. "How do you know the language of the Elemental Nations?" he demanded, replying in the same tongue.

"You taught it to me, a long time ago."

"I've never met you until tonight."

"But you have. As I said, I know you from before."

"What does that even mean? I don't know you!" He looked away from and stared intently at the garden. "And stop looking at me with those eyes; you have no right to do so."

"What right would that be?" There was no hostility in her voice from being told what to do. She sounded just as serene and calm as before. In fact, there was a small note of curiosity in her voice.

But he didn't answer her. Instead, he turned his gaze upward to the tree. "What exactly is the point you're trying to make here, Kami?" he asked aloud, not caring that there was another person with him. "You send me Naruto when he was a kid in the form of Pippin, then you send me my friendship in the form of Gimli and Legolas, and now you send me his trust in me in the form of her? When is this sick joke of yours going to end!?" he demanded, the clasp he had over his emotions breaking ever so slightly.

He got no answer from above. But he did get one from Galadriel. "Whatever the One has decided to grant you, it is never a joke."

He turned to look at her. "It certainly feels like that to me." He looked away again. She still had that look in her eyes. "Why do you keep looking at me like that?"

"I cannot enjoy the company of an old friend?" she asked him, that note of curiosity still there.

"I already told you, I've never met you."

"And I have told you twice before, I know you from before." Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her smile. "It is good to see you again, Indra."

He went still at those words. Truth be told, he shouldn't have be surprised by her words. If the Lord of Rivendell had known his ancestor, why wouldn't she? But there was still one thing to question. "How do you know I am him?" he asked, finally looking at her (but still avoiding the eyes).

"You carry yourself in the same manner he did: quiet, yet proud. And there is also the obvious." She gestured to his left arm. "You carry the same mark." A slight frown appeared on her face. "But I have never seen it covered so."

He shifted slightly, he wasn't sure why. "It was sealed," he said shortly. "How well did you know him?"

The frown disappeared and a slightly sad smile formed on her lips. "If I had been a younger elf and not married when I met him, I would've gladly become mortal for him."

"_So, that well,"_ he thought to himself. It also explained why she had that look in her eyes. In a sense, she did have the right (but that didn't mean he liked it). "Is there a particular reason why we are talking here, in a rock garden?" He gestured to the garden to emphasize his point.

"He taught me how to make one and this was the result. Do you like it?"

"It's well done, from what I can tell." He wasn't a gardener. That had been Naruto (which came as a surprise to him and Sakura found out about that fact and the little greenhouse he had). "But that's not why you led me here."

"No, it is not." She looked him in the eyes and he found that he could not look away. "Do you know why you carry that mark and why you have followed the footsteps of your ancestors to this land?"

Of course he knew why he carried the mark of a dark moon on his hand. "It was given to me by the Rikudō Sennin, Indra's father. As for following my ancestors, I just took the ship that was sailing away from the Elemental Nations. There was no following."

"So you would believe, but you are here. As for your being given it, that is not so. Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo merely activated it inside of you."

"That's impossible. He carried both and gave them both away." He remembered what happened in that meeting quite clearly.

"Perhaps, the beginning of the tale would be a better place to explain."

He couldn't help but snort at that. "I know what happened at the beginning. The question is: do you?"

She only smiled and shook her head slightly. "No, the question is: what do you think is the beginning?"

"The Rikudō Sennin and his brother defeated their mother and sealed her chakra and her body away in different forms. The chakra into him and the body was made into the moon."

"That is where you are wrong. The moon had existed long before the battle. Tilion, the Maia who was given charge of the moon, knew them well and had agreed to place the body inside the moon. But this is not the beginning I speak of. I speak of the beginning of their mother, the one you know as Ōtsutsuki Kaguya." She looked like she was trying to find something in his eyes. "Did you ever wonder where she had come from?"

"No. All I ever needed to know was how mad and dangerous she was," he answered.

"Then let me tell you of her so that you may understand what happened."

He was silent for a moment. "…Fine," he finally answered.

"It began in the end days of the First Age, where the first Dark Lord was all but victorious in his conquest of Middle-Earth. One day, a woman was found at the steps leading to his fortress of Angband. Thinking of Lúthien and Beren and believing that another had come to take the remaining Silmarils from, he went to the steps to attack. But he discovered that the woman there was not of the Elves but rather Men. And she had not come to steal the Silmarils, for she was heavy with child and had been trying to seek safety but knew she would not find it.

"The Dark Lord found her on the steps, crying as she looked up at the stars. He demanded to know why she was crying. 'I am sad and scared,' she answered. 'I will not see the next sunrise and my child will not see its first.'

"'If that is your sadness, what is your fear' he demanded.

"'I am dying, but I do not know what is beyond death. I have no wish to take my child with me into that unknown abyss.'

"The Dark Lord was unconcerned by these words. 'Such is the Gift of Men.'

"'But such a gift should not be given to a babe just born.' She gasped in pain as she began to give birth. Her labor was long and hard, for she had no one to help her and the Dark Lord did not know what to do. But when she was done, she held a child in her arms, a daughter. 'Please, if you can, save her,' she begged.

"'Do you know who I am?' he asked with poisonous amusement in his voice.

"She nodded. 'Yes, you are Morgoth, the Dark Lord who threatens all.'

"'Then why ask me to save your child when I could easily kill both of you right now?'

"'Who else can I ask at this moment? If it means that my child will live a long life instead of dying soon after being born, I will gladly ask for your help.' With those last words, the woman died.

"The Dark Lord look down at the dead woman and the child she held in her grasp. He took the child from her and held it in his great hand. It was a weakly child who did not have the strength to cry out anymore. But in its eyes, there was nothing but curiosity and trust for him, even though the rest of the world shunned and hated him. In a moment of compassion he hadn't had since he turned from Eru, he imparted some of his essence onto her.

"She survived it, her black hair turning red, and became much more healthier. He named her Bariel, for the color of her hair, and took her back into Angband to rise as his daughter. For forty years he raised her, teaching her about life and its choices. She proved to be an apt student and learned well. But when the tides turned against him in the War of Wrath, he sent her away."

She went silent, which prompted him to speak. "And then what happened?"

Before she answered, a scream pierced the night. They both turned to the entrance of the garden where the scream had come from. Galadriel left first and he followed after her. Their quick pace led to them a group of elves encircling something. "My lady, I'm sorry," one of the elves said when he saw the Lady of Light approach. "He broke himself free again."

"It is alright, I will speak to him," she said, walking forward into the circle. Sasuke followed so he could a good look at what was going on. What he saw was a youngish-looking elf (it was a little hard to tell sometimes) on the ground rocking back and forth with his hands covering his head. "Hinnoron, it is alright. The Tainted is not here."

"He was calling me," the elf on the ground muttered as he rocked. "He was calling me. I could hear him; I could hear him calling out for me to come."

"Did you break free so you could to him?" Her tone was gentle, but there was an audible not of disappointment in it as well.

"No!" he shouted, rocking faster than before. "No! I broke free so I could run _away_ from him, I promise! If I stayed, he would've come. I had to run away! I'm sorry."

She smiled and stopped his rocking with her hands. "I'm glad to hear that from you. You are amongst friends, Hinnoron. Stand on your own two feet."

She removed her hands and stepped. After a moment, the elf on the ground stood up and looked at the crowd surrounding him. When Sasuke saw the elf standing before him, his eyes widened in shock and surprise. With no warning to anyone else, he walked out of the crowd, towards the elf, and grabbed him by the chin to look more closely at him. What he saw was still there even when he looked more closely. "That shouldn't be possible!" he declared, but it was still there.

* * *

><p>The Fellowship came awake in the morning, finding that food had been set out for them. No one said a word as they ate, but they had all noticed the same thing: where was Sasuke? The person in question soon appeared in the camp. "Where have you been, lad?" Gimli asked him.<p>

"Around," he said shortly before looking at the Ranger amongst them. "Aragorn, we're going to stay here a while. Two weeks, a month at the most."

That got a surprise out of everyone there. "Why are we doing that?" Pippin asked.

"So I can give him a quick study on how to be a shinobi." He pointed his thumb at the elf who stood behind and to the side of him. So focused had the Fellowship been on him that they didn't realize the elf was there until he was pointed out. The elf looked young, not quite a child but not quite an adult. His hair was shorter than other elves and its ends were black as a raven.

"Who is he?" Legolas asked, looking at the other elf. Even though he had never seen him before, there was something familiar about him. The elf prince just couldn't place it.

"The elves here call him Hinnoron and he is the son of Madara. As of now, he is my student."

The entire Fellowship was stunned into silence at those words, for they could not believe it. "Durin's Beard!" swore Gimli, still stunned.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Odds are that some of you are going to be annoyed that I put in a song, but we are talking about the Lord of the Rings here. Songs and poems are practically everywhere there. And don't tell me that song wasn't appropriate, it was.

Kaguya's history and what happened with her sons will be explained later on in the story. I thought it was a nice twist to have her be raised by Morgoth. It's certainly something you wouldn't have seen coming.

Don't start bugging me about what happened after Sasuke said it wasn't possible or who the Tainted is (although, those of you who played the strategy game will know), it will be explained in the next chapter.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	8. A sensei and his student

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 8: A sensei and his student

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Lothlórien)

Sasuke only watched in silence as his student (who was, ironically, older than him) kept running higher and higher up the tree. Apparently, he already had a vague notion of how to do it before but never properly utilized it. The closest he had gotten was running on all fours and it more climbing then running. Thus, he was doing this exercise.

When Sasuke had told him what he was going to do, he held out a knife and told him to scratch a mark on the trunk each time he reached his zenith. But after he got all the glares from the elves surrounding him for the remark, he put away the knife and held out a small pot of ink instead. That got the glares off his back and got his student to running.

Speaking of his student, he leapt off of the tree and landed back on the ground. He was panting heavily and looked like he was going to stop. "You are not done, Izuna," he told his student (the elves might've called him Hinnoron, but Sasuke had been told that his name was Izuna and that was what he was going to be called). "Keep going."

"Yes, Sasuke-sensei," he replied, having been told to call his teacher that on the first day alone. He went right back up the tree.

"How's the training coming, lad?" Gimli asked Sasuke when he walked by and took a look, stopping in his pace. "And why do you have him running up trees? I know he's half an elf, but still."

"Being half an elf has nothing to do with him running up a tree," he answered as he watched his student leap off, land on the ground, and run at the tree with a shout. "He's building up stamina and leg muscle while also figuring out to how to properly channel his charka into his feet."

"And what would that do for him?" The dwarf understood the part about stamina and muscle but it was the last part that made him slightly confused.

"For one, allow him to walk up any vertical surface and hang from any ceiling."

"Ah, I see." He fell silent for a moment and then spoke again. "I'll be honest with you, Sasuke. I still have a hard time believing that he's the son of Madara."

"I can assure you, he is." He had gotten the information from a reliable source.

(Flashback)

"This should not be possible!" he told Galadriel once they were alone again. The elf he had just seen only fifteen minutes ago (who had fallen into unconsciousness and was taken away) had the **Sharingan** blazing in both of his eyes, which meant he had been sired by an Uchiha. And since Sasuke was the last Uchiha, he should not exist.

"But it is," Galadriel told him, showing no concern for his outburst. "You saw it with your own eyes. It is the truth."

"How?" he demanded. "How is possible then?"

"You of all people in this world should know the answer. You are his sire."

If he had been Naruto, that would've been the moment he would've started protesting loudly against that sentence, trying to point out how he couldn't have been the elf's father, stumbling over his words in the process. But since he wasn't that blonde idiot, he didn't do that.

Instead, he thought it over, remembering what he had heard and what he was told. "He's yours?" he finally asked, having seemingly connected the dots.

She laughed slightly and shook her head in the negative. "No, his father wasn't Indra, but Madara, who came to Lothlórien after leaving Erebor."

"I'm assuming there's a story to this?"

"A small one," she admitted.

"…Would you mind telling me what it is?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"He came to the woods and lived on the outskirts for a few months as a hermit. There were a few elves who were concerned that he would be a problem, but he had done nothing so my husband and I allowed nothing to happen to him. That all changed after he lived for two months."

"Who did he attack and kill?" Considering he had met and fought Madara, he knew that he probably would've done something like that.

"A group of orcs who had kidnapped my handmaiden, Gilrin," Galadriel answered, honestly surprising him. "He took to his place, treated her wounds, and then brought her back to Caras Galadhon." She looked at him after those words were said. "You are surprised to hear that."

"Yes, I am." The Madara he had known and fought against wouldn't have bothered with trying to save someone. He might've fought against the orcs, but he would not have saved anyone. _"Well, he was younger then,"_ he admitted to himself.

"Regardless of your surprise, he did save her and he did bring her back. When I saw him, I knew at once he was but said nothing. Once he had brought to safety, he left and went back to where he was living. But Gilrin would not leave him be. She would go back to him again and again.

"What happened in those visits, we never learned of. Gilrin had insisted all they did was talk to each other of trivial things and we took her word. But soon, he had disappeared from Lothlórien and she was carrying his child, who she named Izuna in honor of his sire's brother."

"And that was the end of it?"

"No, he did reappear one time in later years. It was during the night and only Gilrin had seen him, but he had laid eyes on his son."

That answered that question, but now there was the other one. "Who or what is the Tainted?" When he asked the question, he felt the air around him become a little more colder.

Galadriel answered him in a soft voice. "He is one of the Nazgûl and by far, the most foul of them, save for their leader. Do you know of his origins?"

"Until I held off all nine of them to let Frodo get to Rivendell, I did not know what a Nazgûl was; let alone who each one had been."

"The Nazgûl were once kings of Men before Sauron gave them nine Rings of Power. After using them time and time again, they fell into darkness and became the Ringwraiths. But the only one who did not fall slowly was the king who would become known as the Tainted. He gave himself to Sauron, completely and utterly of his own choice. Thus he became an abomination to all things created by Eru."

"What interest does he have in Izuna?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Whatever interest he has is the interest of the Enemy," she correcting him.

"Then what interest does Sauron have in him?"

"We do not know that. All we do know is that when they had left the safety of Lothlórien in a company of elves for Rivendell, they were ambushed by a large party of orcs and the Tainted took Gilrin away in front of Izuna when he was but a child. From that time on, it has haunted his dreams ever since, always calling to him."

"_If that's what happened when he was a child, it's no wonder that he activated the __**Sharingan**__,"_ Sasuke thought to himself. Did Sauron know that would happen if Izuna's mother was kidnapped right in front of his eyes? "Did you ever make an attempt to get her back?"

"Yes, in the early days. But we never found where they had taken her. We became more focused on ensuring her son did not find his way into the hands of the Tainted and of Sauron."

"By locking him up," he stated, having seen where they had taken the son of Madara.

To her credit, the Lady of the Wood did look guilty at those words. "I am not proud of our methods, but they've kept relatively him safe. In all his attempts to either run to or from the Tainted, he has never gotten out of Lothlórien."

He frowned, remembering something. "Has his **Sharingan** stayed active all these years?" he asked her.

She shook her head. "No, it has come and gone. Its appearance has meant that the Tainted has tried to make him come to him."

Silence fell between the two of them and it stretched on for a long moment or two. It wasn't an awkward silence nor was it a troubled silence. It was just silence. Then Sasuke broke it. "Are you going to keep him locked away for the rest of life?"

"What else can be done for his safety? We have thought hard but never has a solution showed itself to us."

He withheld the urge to roll his eyes. It was so bloody obvious. "There is a solution: train him to fight."

"And who would train him?" she asked him with a small smile.

When he saw that smile he knew he had been caught. _"Kami take it,"_ he swore to himself. She knew that was a solution and had been leading him to it the entire time. By showing him Izuna, then telling him of his parentage and what happened to his mother, she had made him care a little about what would happen to him.

He didn't like being led around by the nose like that; it had happened to him one too many times before. On the other hand, he had found that he wasn't the last Uchiha anymore. Had it been any other (and he a different kind of person), it would've been cause for celebration. He wasn't the kind of person to celebrate like that, but he would be damned before letting a chance like this to pass him by.

"You're looking at him," he declared.

As the sun was slowly rising over the woods, the son of Madara was brought before him and Galadriel. "What is going on, my Lady?" Izuna asked Galadriel, his normal eyes darted around the area they were standing in, a flet that looked over a stream. The guards that had brought him had gone back down the steps in order to give some semblance of privacy. "Is this about what happened last night?"

"Of sorts," she answered.

He began to look very nervous. "I'm sorry, my Lady. I know I should've stayed, but he was there in my head. He was calling to him!"

"I know, Hinnoron, I know. I am glad to know that this time, you wanted to run. I do wish to think of the times he had made you want to come to him."

He looked down at the wooden floor of the flet. "I'm sorry those times had happened, but he was so…convincing."

"So you have said many times before, but this is not what you've been brought here for." She turned her head to the only Man there with them. "Do you know who he is?"

He lifted his head and looked closer at the Man. "He was the one who looked at my face last night, wasn't he?" he asked Galadriel, who nodded once in acknowledgement. "But there's something…familiar about him." He looked closely for another minute or so and then his eyes went wide with surprise and hope. "Father, is that you?"

"No," Sasuke told him shortly. "I am not Uchiha Madara."

"Oh," he said, the hope vanishing from his face. "I'm sorry."

"You apologize too much, stop it," Crabandir ordered him.

That had surprised him. "I'm sorry?"

"What did I just tell you?"

Not sure what was going on, he looked over Galadriel. "My Lady, what is happening here?"

"You were wrong in only one part, Izuna," she told him. "This is not Uchiha Madara, he is Uchiha Sasuke and he will be teaching you from now on."

"Teaching me?" he repeated. "Teaching me what?"

"For starters, how to properly activate, deactivate, and utilize these," Sasuke answered, his own **Sharingan** blazing his eyes.

Izuna gasped in surprise and took a step back when he saw those eyes. His own **Sharingan** involuntarily activated when he saw them. "How is this…I, I thought…" he tried to form a complete sentence but was having difficulty finding the right words.

"You thought that because of what happened, you were the only one who had them and you probably thought it was because the Tainted gave them to you, correct?"

"I…yes," he finally admitted. That was exactly what he thought it was. He had thought that his eyes had become the eyes of a demon for what had happened.

"They aren't," Sasuke told him. "They are a part of your lineage and I'm going to make sure that you are, at the very least, competent with them."

"Really?" he asked as a hopeful tone in his voice appeared again.

The other Uchiha nodded. "From now on, you are to call me sensei, which means teacher in the language of your father. You are my student and you will learn."

(End Flashback)

It was his first time being the teacher instead of the student. He didn't know if he was nervous about being one or not. Quite frankly, he didn't have the time to figure it out. There was only so much time that could be spent keeping the Fellowship waiting in Lothlórien while he trained Izuna.

Thankfully, he had kept to his promise and taught his student how to properly use the **Sharingan**. Once that was out of the way, he could focus on training his student in the other parts of being a shinobi. He used the same method Kakashi had used on him during the training period of the Chūnin Exams to speed up the process.

It worked and Izuna was taking in all that he could. If Sasuke had to describe how his student learned, he would have to say that he was a strange mixture of himself and Naruto. It would take him a few times to understand an explanation of something, but once he started practicing it he got it.

He didn't show an interest in using a sword, preferring to handle a stave weapon. Having only learned the basic moves in the course of his training with Orochimaru (who had been insistent on that he learn a measure of everything), Sasuke showed him those moves. In this regard, he was more like his sensei, understanding them instantly and using them perfectly. In fact, he had done so well with the movements of a staff that he had begun to go further and figure out how to make his own movements.

After seeing how his student had progressed with the staff in a matter of days, Sasuke decided to take it another step further and taught him how to use a spear, which was a little different than the staff but not by much (the only real difference was the sharpened piece of metal at the end). Izuna took to that just as well as he had the staff.

But there were some things he had difficulty with. The most prominent of them was his control over his chakra. Despite being able to activate and deactivate the **Sharingan**, Izuna's chakra control could barely be even called that. It had taken them quite a few days to get into any semblance of control, which was one of the reasons his student was running up and down trees. It had gotten better, but not by a great amount.

"Well lad, I didn't come here just to talk to you about how his training is coming," Gimli declared, breaking Sasuke out of his thoughts.

"Then why did you come here?"

"To let you know that lunch has been made and the hobbits have made it."

"_Hmm, interesting,"_ he thought. Ever since they had entered Lothlórien and been found by the elves, food had been prepared for them. _"I wonder which one of the four wore the elves down enough to convince them to let them cook."_ If he had to make a wager, he would say Merry and/or Pippin, with the stronger bet on Pippin.

The sound of someone leaping off of something filled their ears for a moment. When they looked up, they saw Izuna coming back down to the ground. He landed easily on his feet, falling into a roll and then jumping out of it. He was ready to run again when his sensei spoke. "Stop, Izuna," Sasuke ordered.

He went still and the other Uchiha examined how far he went up today. It was a good amount, much more so then the previous attempts. He had managed to get a quarter of the way up the tree, and considering the height of said tree (which was one of the taller ones in the woods) it was a moderately impressive attempt. Of course the time it took for him to get that far up could be improved.

"Not bad," he finally said. "But you can be better. It took you longer than it should to have to get that far up."

"Don't be too harsh on the lad, Sasuke," the dwarf amongst them told him. "It is a giant tree and he did get far. You can't fault him for that."

"I'm not. I'm faulting him for his timing. If he had better control over his chakra, he wouldn't waste precious seconds making sure that he was still attached to the tree."

"How is this control you speak of so important? I doubt anyone could get farther that tree in the same amount of time."

He gave the dwarf a look. Without saying another word, he sprinted at the tree and once he had his feet on it, ran straight up it. To the people who were standing before the tree and looking at it, he had disappeared from sight leaving only a thin trail of smoke behind him. And before they could say anything, he had reappeared again and landed on the ground. "Does that answer your question?" he asked Gimli.

The dwarf was silent for a long moment, staring at the shinobi with his mouth agape. Then he closed it and asked the first question that came to him. "How far did you go up?"

"All the way to the top in the same time it took Izuna to get up a quarter of the length. And I was going slowly." He looked over at Izuna. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Sasuke-sensei," his student answered. "I'm ready to go again." He slipped into the stance he had been taught to use to start off running.

"That's not happening. We're done here." He turned around and walked away from the tree. Gimli, Izuna, and the few elves that were stationed nearby to ensure nothing happened to the half-elf followed him.

It was only a short walk back to where the Fellowship had made camp. A fire was going and the Fellowship sat around it. "Welcome back!" Sam said to them as they came near the fire.

"How's the food coming?" Gimli asked as they sat down.

"It's coming along nicely, Mr. Gimli. You'll only have to wait another minute or so."

"That's nice. I am certainly hungry," Izuna declared as he sat down next to his sensei. After their initial meeting, Sasuke had his student meet the Fellowship several more times. Once he had gotten to know them more and more, it became easier for him to talk to them.

"How goes the training?" Legolas asked Sasuke.

"It goes," he answered shortly.

"You must give us more than that, Sasuke," Boromir told him. "If Izuna is to join us on our quest, we must know how far he has come in his training."

"I would like to think that I am doing well," Izuna began to offer.

"You are the student," his sensei told him shortly. "You would think that when you have no concept of how you're actually doing."

"Then how am I doing, sensei?"

He was silent for a moment. "Better in some areas, not as well as I had hoped in the others," he finally answered.

"You cannot fault him for that," Aragorn told him.

"Aragorn is right," Boromir agreed. "No warrior is perfect."

"_I know a few people who would gladly disagree with that statement,"_ the shinobi thought to himself. He would know, he had fought those people and rid them of that belief. "I am aware of that, Boromir," he said aloud. "And I am not expecting Izuna to be perfect. But if he does not get better in those areas, he is liable to end up dead."

"And you've put him through several hard tasks already, Sasuke," Gimli said. "The lad is doing well. That tree climbing thing he was doing looked to be quite difficult indeed, until you did it."

"That's because my sensei taught it to me when I was twelve," he answered. "And I had it mastered within the space of a few days." He neglected to mention the fact that Naruto had been there to spur him on. He still wasn't keen on the idea of letting others know about his past and he was also aware of the fact that it wouldn't help Izuna.

"I am ready to run up that tree any time you command me to, sensei," Izuna declared. His eyes shined with determination as he looked at his younger kin.

"I fear you will have to wait on that, Mr. Izuna," Sam told him.

"Why is that?" he asked the hobbit, swinging his attention to him.

"Because the food is done," he answered. He looked at the rest of the Fellowship. "Alright, grab your plates and stand ready to be served. And remember, there's enough to go around for seconds and more."

The Fellowship waited their turns to be served before tucking in to the food. It was good food, no one could deny that. In all honesty, it felt like a long time since the Fellowship had had a decent meal like this. The last one they could remember was one time before the Crebain had spotted them. It had a quick lunch, but it felt the same.

Not wanting to think of that, they focused their attention on the food. As stated before, it was good food (but when was food made by a hobbit anything but good?). There were meats and vegetables aplenty and there was more than enough for more, like Sam had said.

"This is good!" Izuna exclaimed as he ate the food on his plate.

"I'm glad you enjoy it," Sam said, looking a little embarrassed and shy at the words of praise.

"Enjoy it? If I was a cook, I would ask for the recipe!"

"The same goes for me, Master Gamgee," Gimli told the hobbit. "But perhaps I can pass on a few to Bombur. I believe you would be proud if he declared that he liked your meals."

Those words just made him feel even more embarrassed. "There's nothing special about it. It's just a good cooked meal."

"You would be surprised how rare that is sometimes," Sasuke told him. The raven-haired shinobi could easily remember the times in his wanderings when he had to suffice with one meal a day. One of the worse ones was when he had to pace a stale loaf of beard out so it could last him two weeks.

"Aye, Sasuke has the right of it," Boromir agreed. He could remember the times when, in the defense of Gondor, food had been scarce for him and his men.

Aragorn had said nothing, but he silently agreed. He had some lean times as well when he was just simply a Ranger. Sure, he was able to track and hunt down food to eat, but even then there were times when there was no prey to hunt.

Embarrassment left Sam when he heard those words. Instead, he was now filled with shame. "I am sorry," he told them. "This must seem like a waste of food to you."

"Sam, are we complaining about how the food tastes?" Aragorn asked him.

"No."

"Are we berating you for cooking so much food?"

'No."

"Are we even suggesting ways to make the food taste better?"

That question drew some small looks of outrage from the hobbits, because not once in the entire reckoning of the Shire had one of the Big Folk ever suggested a way to make food cooked by a hobbit better. The very idea was insulting. "No, you are not."

"Then it is not a waste. We enjoy this food and we enjoy the company in which we are having this food."

"Perhaps with the exception of them," Sasuke commented, looking at the elves that stood guard nearby.

"You are welcomed to join us if you so desire," Frodo told the guards.

The leader of the guards shook his head. "We are glad you are concerned for us, Master Baggins. But we have eaten before we came on duty."

"That's a pity," Merry commented as he chewed on a sausage. "You are missing on some good food here."

"And the company's excellent," Pippin added.

"We can see. But nevertheless, we will stay on duty."

"Very well, as you wish. Merry, pass me a sausage."

"Me as well, please," Izuna asked. While he did enjoy the greens the lunch had, he greatly enjoyed the meat that was there. There were so many different kinds of meats in front of him. He wanted to eat them all at the same time, but his sensei would not have approved. He was always told to never rush into anything. He wasn't sure if that included food, but he wasn't going to risk it.

"I will take one too," the sensei in question said.

"Hold on, I will get to each of you," Merry told them all.

Sasuke waited in silence as he got his sausage. Once he got it, he took it onto his fork and bit off a piece of it. As he chewed slowly, he looked at the rest of the Fellowship. In spite of the danger that surrounded them and their quest, it did not seem like it at that moment.

Instead, it felt like a group of friends sitting around a fire, enjoying a meal and the company of each other. It was a relaxing feeling and if he was being honest with himself, he could barely remember the last time he had that kind of feeling. What he could remember was it was a dinner with his father, mother, and…Itachi. Kami, he must've been five or six when it happened. Had it been that long since he felt like that? _"No, that's not true,"_ he silently admitted. _"There was always Team 7."_ There were a few moments with Team 7 that had that kind of feeling, but they were there.

When the food was done, they were not. Instead, they put their plates down and relaxed. "By the beard of my father, that was a good meal," Gimli declared, patting his belly. "I don't think that I've had so many servings of delicious food that kept changing and still stayed delicious."

"I feel the same," Legolas agreed with the dwarf.

"I think we can all agree that we are very stuffed," Pippin declared. "Very nice cooking there, Sam," he said to the hobbit.

"Thank you, Pip," Sam said in reply as he made sure that all the food had not been wasted. Once he was done, he sat back. "Do you know what would make right even better than it is now?"

"Some of the leaf?" asked Merry, holding a small pouch in his hand.

"Exactly that," he answered. All four of the hobbits, as well as Aragorn and Gimli, pulled out their pipes, took some of the leaf, and began to smoke it.

"Try not to set anything on fire," Sasuke said to them with a small smile on his lips as he watched them smoke. They were in the middle of an elvish land and he had yet to see an elf smoke a pipe. Plus, he was fairly certain that the elves would the trees or grass set ablaze because of their actions.

"He's talking to you, Pippin," Merry told the Took.

"I'll have you know, Merry, that I am quite well-handled with a pipe," he replied, sounding very offended by his friend's words. "And if I remember correctly, I was not the one who set fire to that parlor room because he sneezed with a pipe in his mouth."

"You were the one who said it would be fine to smoke a pipe inside your mother's parlor!"

"And the two of you wonder why the rest of the Shire gets nervous when you find the fireworks whenever Gandalf came," Frodo remarked with a slight smile on his face.

The hobbits shared a laugh at that, remembering what had happened at Bilbo's birthday party. The laughter soon became bittersweet and died away when they remembered that the Wizard who brought those fireworks had fallen into the abyss in Moria.

The rest of the Fellowship fell silent as they too remembered what happened to Gandalf. It brought a fresh stab of pain and sorrow to them all, especially Sasuke. The shinobi looked down at his right hand. When it had healed and the bandage had come off, he had been right in the fact that the wound would scar, taking the appearance of a white star.

Their sadness was broken when Izuna coughed quietly, getting their attention. "I don't suppose…you have another one of those pipes?" he asked Sam, feeling nervous as he spoke.

They all looked at him with surprise in their eyes. "You…wish to try one of these?" Sam asked, jiggling his pipe a little to emphasize his point.

He nodded. "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"If the lad wants a pipe, give him a pipe," Gimli ordered gruffly. But he was curious, deep down. He had never seen an elf take to the pipe, so he wanted to see what would happen.

Sam took out a spare pipe and handed it to the half-elf. He took it and held it gingerly in his grasp, like it was made of glass and would shattered if he held it wrong. He still held that grip when he was shown how to proper set the leaf and light the fire.

Sasuke watched in amusement as his student took his first inhale and began to cough. The hobbits laughed as they watched this happen. Once Izuna was done coughing, they began to give him advice on how to properly smoke. He took their advice and began smoking the pipe once more. To his surprise, he found that he liked it.

"Sensei, why do you never speak of your home?" Izuna asked Sasuke as they sat on the bank of a lake.

The guards who had been assigned to them had finally been relieved of their orders, which Sasuke found a relief for (they had been annoying). Since they were gone, he could try and focus his student on the mental aspects. They were trying to do that by meditating and the way he figured it, peaceful scenery would help it, hence, why they were in front of a lake.

But it seemed like his student wasn't even trying to meditate. "Why do you ask?" he asked Izuna while still trying to meditate, keeping his eyes closed.

"I was thinking about the lunch we had with the Fellowship a few days back, about they were talking about where they had come from. And I noticed that you hadn't spoken."

"That's because I don't have a home." Not anymore, he didn't.

"But you must've. You must've come from somewhere."

Finally, he opened his eyes and looked at his student. "Why do you even care, Izuna?"

His student looked away from his gaze, not being able to hold it. "I…I always wanted to know where my father came from. I used to imagine what it would be like there. And I always thought that I might just be accepted there." He laughed a little laugh. "I even wrote a small song about that feeling. You'd probably think it would be silly."

He was silent as he listened, and then he spoke. "Have I heard this song before?"

Izuna looked a little surprised by the question, obviously not thinking that his sensei would care about what he had been saying. The only actual person who had done that for him was Lady Galadriel. "No," he said.

"Then how would I know if it's silly?"

"Well…would you mind if I sang it?"

"If it gets you to stop this kind of questioning and focus on meditating, yes," Sasuke told him. He took a deep breath and began.

(Start I can go the distance)

I have often dreamed,  
>Of a far off place,<br>Where a great warm welcome,  
>Will be waiting for me.<p>

Where the crowds will cheer,  
>When they see my face,<br>And a voice keeps saying,  
>'This is where I'm meant to be'.<p>

I will find my way,  
>I can go the distance,<br>I'll be there someday,  
>If I can be strong,<br>I know every mile,  
>Will be worth my while,<br>I would go most anywhere,  
>to feel like I belong.<p>

I am on my way,  
>I can go the distance,<br>I don't care how far,  
>Somehow I'll be strong,<br>I know every mile,  
>Will be worth my while,<br>I would go most anywhere,  
>to find where I belong.<p>

(End I can go the distance)

It was a short song, but it was not song horribly. When his student was done, he was silent for the longest moment. But he broke that silence quickly enough. "When you want to find a hobby, I would recommend your singing," he told Izuna.

"Why would I want to find a hobby?" his student asked him.

"You're trying to be a shinobi. You're going to want a hobby." He never had a hobby, he been so focused on getting revenge for his clan.

"…Did you like it?"

He nodded. "Yes. It was nice." He might've been selling it a little short, but he wasn't going to tell Izuna that. In truth, the song had reminded him of Konoha, of the people that were living there. It made him wonder if things had finally cooled off, if he could go back. Would they stare at him with open hostility in their eyes as he went down the street, cursing him for daring to show his face? Or would they greet him like he had simply been on a long mission and they were glad that he was home?

He stood up from where he sat and walked to the water's edge. "Sensei?" said Izuna.

He said nothing to his student. What he did was kneel down to the ground and place his hand in the water. Once it was submerged, he channeled his chakra through it and into the water itself. He willed the water of the lake to take the shape of the memory that was currently inside his mind. It took a minute or so, but the lake started to obey his will.

"Sensei, what's happening?" Izuna asked him, seeing that the water of the lake was beginning to act strange.

"Quiet, I'm concentrating here," he told his student, trying to keep his focus on the lake.

"On what?" his student asked again.

"If you will be patient and silent, you will find out. That's an important thing for a shinobi." Izuna caught the rebuke and stayed silent while his sensei concentrated.

The water of the lake began to rise up from what its usual level was. It was not all at once, it began in small parts. But it began to grow and grow, quickly taking shapes as the water continued to rise. But now, it was not all at once, it was more in parts, each taking a different elevation.

The son of Madara could only watch in fasciation as he watched all of this happen. His sensei was creating something, that much was obvious. But as it was still growing and building itself, he had no idea what it was or what it would become. He could only watch in fasciation as the water continued rise and form.

When it was done, he was looking at a city. But it was not like Caras Galadhon, which was the only kind of city he had known. But this city made of water did not show flets built around trees. It had buildings of various heights, lengths, and styles. He didn't know how, but the water had changed colors as well, letting him see what they truly looked like. At the back of the city was a large mountain with five heads carved into it. "Is this…your home, sensei?" he asked after getting over his shock of seeing the water-city.

"It was, once," Sasuke said shortly.

"It looks amazing." Even though the buildings were different, he could see how they connected with one another, whether with branches of trees or what looked to be lines of clothes hanging in the air (which struck him as a little odd, but he didn't say anything).

The man the elves knew as Crabandir said nothing in reply. He just kept looking at the representation of Konoha. It was a small scale of the village so all of it could be seen. He wasn't sure why he had created it. The logical side of him said that it was because Izuna would never stop bugging him about it. But the other side of him, the emotional side, said it was because on some deep level, he missed the village. Sure, he had been there after talking to the dead Hokages, but that didn't really count. That was why he created the little replica of the village before Pain had attacked.

He barely noticed when the sky above them began to darken. But he did noticed when his student began to shake where he sat. "What is it, Izuna?" he said, looking at the half-elf.

"It's here," he said in a terror-filled here.

"What's here?"

"_It's_ here," he said again, placing emphasis on the first word.

"What is here, Izuna?" his sensei repeated himself.

"It!" he said as his **Sharingan** activated as he focused on the city.

Sasuke hadn't known what he was talking about but when he saw the **Sharingan**, he knew it only meant one thing: the Tainted was trying to influence Izuna. "Where is it?" he asked his student, standing up and stepping away from the water of the lake.

"It's right there!" Izuna pointed at the middle of the water representation of Konoha.

Sasuke saw nothing there, just the city. Thinking of a way to stop this, he stopped the flow of charka to the replica, letting the water fall back down to the normal level. "Is it still there?"

"Yes! It didn't move!" How could his sensei not see it floating just above the water? Its hunched appearance was right there! Already he could feel it calling for him, beckoning him to come forward. One part want to go, another wanted to run. Unable to tear his gaze off of the Tainted, all he could down was shut his eyes tight.

Sasuke still couldn't see what his student was seeing, but he could see how said student how closed his eyes. "Don't close your eyes, Izuna," he ordered the half-elf.

"Sensei, if I open, all I will be able to see is it!" Izuna protested. He didn't want to see it. He didn't want to be tempted.

"That's what I want you to do. Now open those eyes."

He did as he was told, seeing the Tainted floating over the lake. The very water recoiled itself away from the Nazgûl, disgusted to be anywhere near it. He didn't want to be there either. He wanted to run but there was that other part of him that urged him to go. "Sensei, please help," he all but begged.

"I am helping you, Izuna," Sasuke said as he walked to his student and stood behind him. "Look at it," he told the half-elf, speaking into his ear.

"I do not want to."

"Look at it, Izuna!" he ordered his student sharply. "Do not run away from it and do not run towards it. Look at it."

"It's all I can see, sensei!"

"Good."

"How is it good?" He was afraid. He didn't want it to be good.

"Look at it, Izuna. What is it?"

Why did his sensei ask that? It was obvious. "It's the Tainted, one of the Ringwraiths."

"Why does it keep coming to you?"

"I don't know!"

"Yes, you do. Think, Izuna. Why does it keep coming to you?"

The questions were coming rapidly and he answered rapidly. "Because it wants something from me," he answered.

"What is that something?"

"I don't know!" Was it mocking him by just floating there?

"Think. How is it you came to know the Tainted?"

The answer was hard for him to say, and he said it with a voice choked full of emotion. "It was the one who took my mother."

"But why?" asked Sasuke, fueling his thoughts. "Why would it take her?"

"I don't know why, I never knew why! It just took her!"

That earned him a slap upside the head but his head did not move. He was still focused on the Tainted. He could feel it trying to get him to come to it. "Focus, Izuna!" his sensei ordered him. "I did not just spend all this time teaching you how to fight with your body. I taught you how to fight with your mind."

"What is there to fight? All it had to do to is reach out and I will be tempted to go!"

"Think! Why did it take your mother?"

"Because…because…" He was trying so hard to think of an answer but none would come. Then, out of nowhere he could think of, one came to him. "Because it wasn't trying to harm her, it was trying to harm me."

"_And now we are getting somewhere,"_ Sasuke thought to himself. But what came next had to be carefully done. "How was it harming you by taking your mother?"

"It…it wanted me to see her be taken. It wanted me to see what it could do with ease."

"That's not all, is it?"

He shook his head, his eyes still locked on the Tainted. "No…there was something else. What was it, sensei?"

"Why are you asking me? I was not there. You have to answer."

He thought hard and as he continued to look at the Nazgûl and hear his whispers in his mind, he found his answer. "It wanted me to be afraid. It wanted me to be scared for my life."

"And why did it want that?"

"Because it wanted to control me through my fear," he answered. As he kept talking, his voice started to sound stronger and his shaking was beginning to stop. "It wanted me to run into the darkness so it could have control of my very being."

"Would it have tried to use visions of your mother to taunt and haunt you in your dreams?"

"Yes…yes, it would."

"Would they have that effect on you now?"

He shook his head. "No, they wouldn't."

"What would they make you feel then?"

"I would feel…anger and…fury." He could feel those emotions grow strong inside him and they were directing themselves at the Tainted. Suddenly, he found that he could look at more than the floating Nazgûl but he kept his **Sharingan** on it.

"Why would you feel those things?" Sasuke asked.

"Because…it took my mother," he answered and when he said them, it was like he had heard them for the first time. "It took my mother. It took my mother!" He looked at the Tainted with all of his anger and fury. "_You_ _took my mother_!" he screamed for the entire lake area to hear.

To his sensei's surprise, he started folding his hands into handseals, something he had been taught (which showed in how clumsy some of the handseals were). _"Snake, Ram, Monkey, Boar, Horse, Tiger,"_ Sasuke counted the handseals, realizing what was about to happen and took a few steps back.

"**Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu** (Fire Style: Great Fireball Jutsu**!"** He breathed out a giant ball of flame at the lake, directly in the path of the floating Nazgûl. It engulfed the Tainted and when the fire ball flew further out to the lake before dissipating, the Ringwraith was gone. But he thought he heard a shriek of pain.

Once the fireball dissipated, he felt weak. Trembling, he lookedat the lake, seeing the smoke that rose from the water. "What…what did I just do?" he asked, deactivating his **Sharingan**.

"What you did was the one jutsu every Uchiha knows, and I know I didn't teach you that," Sasuke answered him. "How the hell do you know it?"

He didn't have a good answer, so he gave the only one he had. "You said it yourself, Sasuke-sensei. Every Uchiha knows it."

The sensei just stared at him for the longest time. Finally, he said one thing. "Izuna, you might be a half-elf, but you're an Uchiha to the bone."

His student smiled widely, for that had been the best compliment he had gotten so far.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me. I'm glad this story went past the triple-digit barrier.

Now you have Izuna's actual name and back history. But I'm not done with the latter yet. There's something else coming around and it'll be coming next chapter.

Okay, I've read the books and watched the movies. And not once did I see a part about an elf taking a part of the pipe. It's understandable, but still weird. And I've never seen them eat meat either.

I felt that song really fit Izuna because he is essentially a stranger in Lothlórien. And you can tell me where it came from and which version it is, I'll give you a cyber-cookie.

As to whether or not the Tainted was actually there or not, I'll leave that up to your imagination.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	9. Down the river

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 9: Down the river

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Isengard)

Saruman sat at his desk, looking over a report from one of his spies in Eriador. The report told him that they had found nine black horses strewn across a riverbank and all of them were dead. The spy had known who the horses had belonged to, but reported that there were no bodies nearby. _"Fool,"_ Saruman thought to himself as he put the report down. There were no bodies because the Nazgûl had fled.

And they had fled because of one particular person, the same man that had turned his power against him on Caradhras. According to the reports he had been receiving, this stranger from another land had been wandering around Middle-Earth for the past ten years and all he had done was rescue children from orc bands. What foolishness! The White Wizard was certain that with the power he commanded, he could very well have carved out a kingdom out for himself. If he had, he might've made a valuable ally.

But he had not and now, he was with this so-called "Fellowship of the Ring." This was even more foolishness. What could they possibly do to succeed in this quest of theirs? Did they honestly believe that they would make into Mount Doom to cast the Ring back into its fires? It was more likely that they would tear themselves apart trying to take control of the Ring from each other. He might've been able to help in that regard, if they were not hiding in Caras Galadhon. Galadriel would be able to sense him and stop him.

The sound of feet walking through his halls entered his ears. There were two kinds of feet that were walking, one was a shuffling gait and the other was loud and audible. "My lord, we have brought him," said an orc who had appeared at the door. There were three other orcs and in the middle of the four was his creation, the first of many.

The White Wizard eyed his creation, who did nothing and said nothing. "Take him to the hall of the palantir," he ordered.

"Yes, my lord." The orcs turned around and ushered his creation out of the room. He stood up from his desk and followed them at a distance.

Once they had reached the hall of the palantir, the orcs and his creation stopped, letting him catch up with them. He walked forward to look at his creation more closely. It seemed to have noticed because a low quiet snarl came out of its throat and was directed at the White Wizard.

"_Good,"_ he thought to himself. "Leave us," he said aloud.

"But, my lord, he's…" the orc that spoke quickly fell silent when Saruman's gaze fell upon him.

"Do I need to repeat myself?" he asked.

"No, my lord," the orc said, bowing his head. He and the other three quickly left the hall, leaving him alone with his creation. Silence reigned in the hall as the two just stood there.

"Do you know how the orcs first came into being?" Saruman asked his creation, only receiving a quiet snarl in response. "They were elves once," he said, slowly walking around his creation. "Taken by the dark powers, tortured and mutilated," he told his creation, getting an audible growl in response. "A ruined and terrible form of life," he declared as he finally stopped walking around. "And now, perfected, my fighting Uruk-hai," he finished. The only thing he had left to say was a simple question. "Whom do you serve?"

His creation did not waste any time in answering. "Saruman," it declared with a whispered that echoed throughout the hall and the tower.

The White Wizard smiled. "Good."

* * *

><p>What came next was the arming of his Uruk-hai. There were enough of them to be used as a large scouting squad, so he put them to it. As they were the first batch to be used, the armor and weapons they were getting would crude. But they would also be cruel and that was all he needed them to be right now. The Uruk-hai were so loyal to him that they painted their mark for him, a white hand, on their faces.<p>

Once they were armed and ready, they stood before him to listen to his orders. And he gave them his orders. They were to find the Fellowship. "Hunt them down!" he told them from the balcony he stood on. "Do not stop until they are found. You do not know pain. You do not know fear. You will taste man-flesh!"

They roared and howled their approval at him. Seeing that the necessary frenzy had been whipped up, he turned to the first of the Uruk-hai, who was named Lurtz. "One of the Halflings carries something of great value. Bring them to me alive, and unspoiled. There is also one amongst the men with black hair and eyes the color of blood, I want him as well." Lurtz snarled his understanding but also his frustration. "Kill the others." The frustration was gone.

The firstborn Uruk-hai turned to the rest of his force and kept that whipped frenzy going. With that force driving them, they ran out of the pits, out of Isengard, and out to find their target.

(Location: Lothlórien)

The day had come for them to leave Caras Galadhon, but they would be leaving with a new member. They stood before the Lord and Lady of the Wood and cloaks of elvish-make were set in place around their shoulders with brooches of green leaves holding them. "Never before have we clad strangers in the garb of our own people," Celeborn told them all as the elves who set the cloaks on their shoulders stepped back from. "May these cloaks help shield you from unfriendly eyes."

"We thank you for these gifts, Lord Celeborn," Aragorn told him.

He nodded in reply. "Go now and prepare for the journey ahead. Pack what supplies that will be given to you onto the boats and then return for the giving of gifts by my lady wife. Aragorn, son of Arathorn, attend me."

The Ranger and the elvish lord walked away from the others who went for the bank. "What is it you wish to say to me, Lord Celeborn?" Aragorn asked as they walked by the bank of the river, away from the elves that were helping the rest of the Fellowship.

"To warn you of what lays ahead," he answered. "Every league you travel south, the danger will increase. Mordor orcs now hold the eastern shore of the Anduin. Nor will you find safety on the western bank. Strange creatures, bearing the mark of the White Hand, have been seen on our borders. Seldom do orcs journey in the open under the sun, yet these have done so."

As he spoke, he held a gift for the Ranger to take. It was a small dagger of elvish-make. "Le aphadar aen (you are being tracked)," he told Aragorn in elvish as the man took the gift and looked at the blade. "By river, you have the chance of outrunning the enemy to the Falls of Rauros."

Aragorn said nothing in reply. He just slid the dagger back into its sheath. Meanwhile, the Fellowship was still helping putting the supplies into the boats. The majority of the hobbits there did not know how to sit in a boat (while the one who did hadn't been in one for a while), so they were getting a feel for that.

"What's that?" Pippin asked Legolas as the elf placed a couple of brown packages into the boat.

He had another one of those packages in hand and took out what was inside. "Lembas, elvish waybread," he told the Took before taking a small bite of the bread. "One small bite is enough to fill the stomach of a full man."

Both Pippin and Merry, who was sitting next to his friend, nodded in acknowledgment. As Legolas went back to helping, Merry looked at Pippin. "How many did you eat?" he asked.

"Four," Pippin answered before trying to keep a burp contained. Clearly, the elves underestimated hobbits when it came to lembas.

Both Sasuke and Izuna stood off to the side, away from the boats and elves carrying supplies. "I am excited, sensei," Izuna admitted to Sasuke as they looked out at the river. "I will be seeing Middle-Earth for myself instead of listening to the tales of my elders."

"This is not a vacation, Izuna," Sasuke told him. "You will still be training as we journey. In fact, you will be training when we leave."

"Sensei, we'll be on boats going down a river. How could I train on the water?"

"By walking on the water," he answered. To prove his point, he stepped onto the river, walked a few steps, turned around to look at his student, and then walked back to prove his point. "Understand?"

His student could only nod in stunned surprise (but after learning what he had from his sensei, he really shouldn't have been). "I'm going to be falling into the water a lot, aren't I?" he asked. His control over his chakra had gotten better since his training had begun, but he had a feeling that it still needed a lot of work if the looks on his sensei's face were anything to go by.

"If you don't want to, then make sure to get it quickly," Sasuke told him. "I will teach you what to do once we get under way."

It didn't take the elves long to finish placing the supplies in the boats. Once they were, the Fellowship was brought before Galadriel once again (with the exception of Aragorn and Boromir, who chose to stay with the boats). "So now you must leave the woods of Lothlórien," she said to them. "But before you part, I would give you gifts."

An elf stepped forward to Legolas, offering him a bow that was longer and stouter then one he had been using. "My gift for you, Legolas, is a bow of the Galadhrim, worthy of the skill of our woodland kin," Galadriel told him as he took the bow and tested the tautness of its string. He was happy with his gift and gave her a nod of thanks.

She walked past him and stood before Pippin and Merry, who were given small daggers. "These are the daggers of the Noldorin," she told them as they unsheathed the daggers to look at the blades. "They have already seen service in war." She saw a look of unease and fear on Pippin's face and she said to him, "Do not fear, young Peregrin Took. You will find your courage."

She went to Sam and gave a bundle of rope. "And for you, Samwise Gamgee, Elven rope made of hithlain."

"Thank you, my lady," Sam said as he took the bundle. Driven by his curiosity and summoning up his courage, he asked a question. "Have you run out of those nice, shiny daggers?"

Galadriel simply smiled at him before walking past him to stand before Gimli. "And what gift would a dwarf ask of the Elves?" she asked. Since the problems between their two races hadn't exactly been figured out and solved, it was always better to ask rather to give. That way, the chances of accidently insulting one another decreased.

But Gimli was not in that kind of mood. If anything, he was acting nervously. "Nothing," he replied, looking down at the ground but then at her. "Except to look at the lady of the Galadhrim one last time, for she is more fair then all the jewels beneath the earth."

Galadriel laughed and smiled, flattered at the compliments she had just received. The rest of the elves there (including Legolas) looked at Gimli in complete and utter surprise. They had just seen a dwarf compliment an elf, something they didn't think would happen unless the Valar themselves intervened and made it so. The dwarf in question looked away embarrassment. But then he looked back. "Actually, there was one thing," he started to say, only to stop and talk to himself. "No, no, talking nonsense. It's quite impossible. Stupid to ask…"

"Please, Gimli, son of Glóin, what is it you wish of me?" she asked him. He leaned in and she knelt down (surprising the elves around her). He whispered something in her ear that made her smile and say, "If you wish, I shall give it."

"Thank you, my lady," he said with a bowed head.

She walked past him and then stood before the last hobbit. "Farewell, Frodo Baggins," she said to him. "I give you the light of Eärendil, our most beloved star." She handed him a phial that was made of crystal and had water that seemed to shine in the light. "May it be a light for in dark places, when all other lights go out." She placed a gentle kiss on his forehead.

"Thank you," Frodo said quietly.

She smiled at him and went past him. She stopped before Izuna, who did not meet her eyes. "Hinnoron, look at me," she told him gently but firmly.

He did, but he also had something to say. "Please do not call me that anymore, Lady Galadriel," he said to her. "That's not my name."

"As you wish," she said in reply, smiling a small smile at him. "My gift to you is something that is yours by right."

"You have something of my fathers?" he asked, a small hope rising in his voice as he spoke.

She shook her head. "No, what I am to give to you is not of your sire's, but of your mother's sire."

"My mother's father?" he said with a confused look. "She never spoke of him."

"Which was something she had to do," she told him. "If the secret of whom her sire was, dark forces would've tried to end her and any chance of the line continuing. Her sire, who I had known well and counted him among my family, kept her a secret and gave her to me to protect and hide, which I had done so."

"Who was her sire?" the half-elf asked, wanting to know.

Again she smiled at him, but this time it was a sad smile. "If this had been a different age, when there were more of our kind and our time wasn't ending, we may have crowned you as High King when you came of age."

Somehow, the words struck him deeply and made him look at her with shock on his face. "You…you mean…" Despite his attempt to speak, he could not finish his sentence. He was too stunned to do so.

But she knew what he was trying to say and nodded her head. "Yes, I do. Your mother, Gilrin, was the daughter of Gil-galad, the last High King of the Ñoldor and the grandson of my brother, Angrod." Everyone who knew what that had meant could only look at her with either shocked or stunned expressions on their faces (those who didn't only had looks of confusion). The legends and histories had all said that Gil-galad had died at the hands of Sauron with no children of his loins. Evidently, that wasn't the case anymore.

"And now, my gift to you, Izuna, child of Gilrin," Galadriel said, walking over to a nearby table, which had something wrapped in a large white cloth laying on it. She threw back the cloth, took what laid in it, and walked back to the half-elf.

If he had been shocked before, now he could barely even speak at the sight of what was held out for him to take. "Aeglos," he uttered with reverence at he looked on the glaive of his grandfather. It was the only thing he could say.

Even though what he looked on was a weapon, it was still a thing of beauty. Its shaft was made of black wood and its recurved blade gleamed in the light that came past the trees. It was nine feet long with two of those feet being the blade. On the blade was an inscription that Izuna had never seen before but could read well enough:

_Gil-galad ech vae vaegannen matha  
>Aith heleg nin i orch gostatha<br>Nin ciniel na ngururthos  
>Hon ess nin istatha:<br>Aeglos_

When translated into the Common Tongue, it read as such:

Gil-galad wields a well-made spear  
>The Orc will fear my point of ice<br>When he sees me, in fear of death  
>He will know my name:<br>Aeglos

Stretching an uncertain hand out to take the weapon from the Lady of the Wood, Izuna's grip was shaky as he took hold of it and pulled it from her grasp. _"It is heavy,"_ he thought to himself. But it wasn't heavy in a way that would be unbearable. It was the kind of heaviness that would disappear once he had gotten used to its weight.

When he held it in both of his hands, he had to restrain the urge to spin it around. It would've been childish (to him, at least) and now was not a time to be childish. Instead, he placed the end of the shaft on the ground with the blade in the air. "I will do my grandfather proud, my lady," he told Galadriel. "His memory I will not shame."

"Do not lose your life in to protect that memory, Izuna," she told him in reply. "For your grandsire and your mother would not want you to do that. They would want you to live." He took it as the advice it was and bowed his head to her, while still holding the glaive upwards.

She walked past him and stood before Sasuke, the last in the line. "I have nothing to offer you as a gift, Uchiha Sasuke," she told him, surprising the rest of the Fellowship. "Only something that should be returned."

"And what would that be?" he asked her.

She turned back to the table. As she did, everyone realized that there was something else lying in the cloth that had held Aeglos. She took it, holding it carefully in her hands, and held it out for him. "You left this in my care when I saw you for the last time, saying that I was the only one you could trust with it. You said that no one but you would be able to wield it or hold it. It grieves me to say that your words have proven true, for many young elves in these woods thought that they could master a blade of Man, only to die when they held it."

His eyes were on the weapon she held in her hands. It was a katana with a hilt that was black with white bands over it and a circular guard with no apparent design on it. It was sheathed in a scabbard that was so dark it almost looked like black wood. All-in-all, it looked like an ordinary katana, no different from any other he had seen before. And yet, there was something about it and something about how she spoke of it. "If what you say is true, why are you not dead?" he asked her.

"I do not know. Perhaps it knows what I was to you. But in spite of that, I have only held it twice. The first was when it was given to me and the second is now. And now I ask you this: will you take back what you had given up?"

He was silent for the longest time, looking at her and then at the katana. He could use a sword after losing his chokutō in Moria, but he didn't know whether it would accept him. She knew who he was, but did the katana know that? As he wondered about it all, an idea came to him and he looked down at his left arm.

"_It could work,"_ he thought himself, shrugging the new cloak he had on back to reveal his arm for all there to see. Pulling out one of the knives he had asked be made for him and Izuna (he wouldn't risk asking for shuriken, thinking that the elves didn't know the design), he placed it against the top of his shoulder and began cutting away.

Everyone looked on with interest as he cut the knots holding the bandages tight on his shoulder. Ever since they had seen that arm, they wondered what had caused him to wear those bandages and what lay beneath them. As the bandages unraveled and fell to the ground, their anticipation rose.

They had thought to see an arm burned black by flame, perhaps some hideous wound or scar that stretched from fingertip to shoulder bone. But there was nothing of the sort when all the bandages fell away and his arm was revealed. But what they did see were black rune-like characters stretching and encircling his arm like a great many chains shackling it. It seemed that the characters originated from the black crescent moon mark in the palm of his hand.

Once the bandages had fallen and his hand was free of their restraints, he reached out with that arm and took hold of the hilt. With the other hand, he took hold of the sheath and took it from Galadriel's hands. Almost instantly, there was a hostile feeling inside his mind, telling him that he will die. But acting on his instinct, which was telling him to use his **Sharingan**, he did just that. He saw that there was writing done in chakra on the sheath. He began speaking in the language of the Elemental Nations, saying the words wreathed in chakra flame.

Beneath the light of the pale moon  
>I lay in silent wait,<br>Where there are no stars to shine,  
>I am the gate.<p>

There are none who can withstand me,  
>There are none who can hide from me,<br>There are none who can hold against me.

In the darkness of the night  
>I hunt those who would try to resist,<br>An unseen hunter I am  
>For those who think they can persist.<p>

Many fear what they think me to be,

They pray that they will remain unseen to me,  
>But they forget that I have seen them all<br>And they all answer to my call.

I am nowhere and I am everywhere,  
>I am no one and I am everyone,<br>I am trapped and yet I am free.

My greatest secret is plain to see  
>For those who are brave enough to find it,<br>And those who would name me  
>are too afraid to see what that secret is:<p>

I am an instrument, and I have no name.

With each word he spoke, the chakra-inscribed characters faded away until there were none left. When he was done, the hostile feeling inside his head seemed to have fallen into a grudging silence. He did not draw the blade to see what it looked like or to see its sharp edge. He had no need to. He knew that when it was drawn, the words would be proven true.

Instead, he lowered the sword to his side. In doing so, he noticed something that was surprising. The sealing pattern on his left arm did not end at his shoulder anymore. Now it only reached his elbow and before his eyes, it faded away until it could barely be seen against the skin. He knew it was still there and it was still sealed, but now he did not need to cover his arm anymore.

He looked at the Lady of the Wood and a strange desire came over him. To the surprise and shock of all the elves there, he reached out and hugged Galadriel. "Thank you, Galadriel," he whispered into her ear, speaking the language of the Elemental Nation and with an accent that was positively ancient. "Thank you for being there."

"You are welcome," she replied, returning the hug. She didn't say the name and she didn't need to.

Now that all the gifts had been given, it was time to leave. The Fellowship got into their boats, Legolas, Izuna, and Gimli in one, Aragorn, Frodo, Sasuke, and Sam in another, and Boromir, Merry, and Pippin in a third. They paddled away from the bank and onto the river. It was slow at first; they had to be formal about leaving, paying silent homage to their hosts as they passed. Just as they left the borders of Lothlórien, they saw Galadriel watching them leave. She raised a hand in farewell as they passed.

"I have taken my worst wound at this part, having looked my last on that which is fairest," Gimli declared once they were out of Lothlórien. "Henceforth I will call nothing fair unless it be her gift to me."

"What was her gift?" Legolas asked him. Izuna looked quietly on, but looked interested as well. Out of all the gifts that had been given, the one the dwarf had received had been done without the rest of the Fellowship seeing it.

"I asked her for one hair from her golden head. She gave me three."

The elf prince smiled. "That was kind of her."

"Aye, it was."

As they continued paddling, the boat holding Sasuke came beside their boat. "Izuna, we are out of Lothlórien," he said to his student. "Do you remember everything I told you?"

"Yes, sensei," he answered. As they traveled in the safe waters, the sensei had told the student what to do.

"Then begin."

"What's going on?" Gimli asked, looking at them both. The half-elf did not answer him. Instead, he stood up, took a deep breath, lifted a foot up into the air, and then putting it down on the water. To their surprise of all but one of the Fellowship, the foot did not go through the water.

Izuna smiled at the small success but the smile died away when he saw that his sensei wasn't smiling or even had a look of approval on his face. So he took the other foot off the boat and placed it on the river as well. He stood there with shaky legs before falling down into the water.

But he didn't fall all the way in. He managed to reach out and grab hold of the two boats, stopping him from sinking. Without saying a word, he pulled himself out of the water and onto the boat, glad that he had taken the cloak he had received off.

"Do it again," Sasuke told him. It was the only thing he said.

"Yes, Sasuke-sensei," he said in reply, stepping out onto the water again.

This went on for the rest of the day. As the boats paddled down the river, the half-elf would walk among them. He had fallen more times than he could or would want to count. But he received no help and he did not ask for it. Necessity and survival forced him to figure it out or die. And he was proud to say that he did figure it out by the time the sun had reached its zenith.

But once he had done so, Sasuke ordered him to walk for the rest of the day. Walking on water was different than just standing on the water. But he could do it. He took slow steps to make sure that he wouldn't fall into the water again (as he had plenty enough of that already). But as time passed in the day, he took more and more confident steps.

By the time they had brought the boats onto a bank and set up camp for the night, Izuna could walk on the surface of the river as if it was a road or the earth itself. But he was also soaking wet. "Is there any chance of us being able to have a fire?" he asked the others as they took out what supplies they needed out of the boats. He was shivering as drops of water fell off his clothes.

Aragorn looked out at the river, trying to see what was out there. "We will have to keep it small," he finally said. "We do not want unwanted eyes looking for us."

"I will be glad to have my clothes dried," Izuna told the Ranger, glad for the answer.

"You should've just stripped before going out onto the water," Sasuke told his student from where he sat on the bank, the katana he had taken from Galadriel laying in his lap.

He looked at his sensei with surprise on his face. "I thought I had to do it fully clothed!"

"When did I say that?" He fell silent as he closed his eyes.

"What are you trying to do?" Pippin asked him.

"I'm trying to meditate and I would like some quiet." No one said a word to him as he continued to meditate. What he didn't tell them was that he was trying to meditate through the sword in his lap. He wanted to be sure of something and he had a feeling that the katana itself would help with that something.

As he concentrated, all outside noise faded away. When he opened his eyes, he wasn't sitting on a bank next to the Anduin River. Instead, he was perched on a rock on one end of a rock garden, just like the one he had seen in Lothlórien.

Across from him was another rock and sitting on it was another person. "I thought it would be you," Sasuke said to him.

"**It's my sword, the one I inherited from my father,"** the spirit of Ōtsutsuki Indra said in reply. **"Did you think that it would be someone else?"**

"No, but it never hurts to check. So, are you really him?"

"**No, this is only an image. But it is still me."**

"I see." It certainly looked like the firstborn son of the Rikudō Sennin. The hair was the same color brown, it was cut in the same fashion, and he had those two locks hanging down on either side of his face wrapped in bandages. His eyebrows were cut short in the ancient way that showed he was nobility (which Sasuke had found to look ridiculous). He had the same blue markings around his eyes, which were alit with spiral-patterned **Mangekyō Sharingan**.

"**Is there a particular reason why you've decided to look for me?"** Indra asked him.

"I just wished to see if what I had thought was true." He looked around and saw only the rock garden. But what was interesting about the garden was that the rocks did not stay still. They moved around as if they were in a current or a flow. "Are we the only ones in here?"

"**Why? Do you wish to speak to your predecessor?"** The image of Indra raised a hand and another stone rose from the rocks and a vague image began to form.

"No," Sasuke told him. He had enough memories of Uchiha Madara. Quite frankly, he was still having difficulty putting the man he fought into the story Bilbo had given him. "Goodbye, we might speak again."

"**I look forward to it,"** he said with the barest hints of sarcasm.

When Crabandir opened his eyes, he could see that some of the Fellowship had fallen asleep while others, Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli, were still awake. "How long was I meditating?" he asked them as he joined them at the fire, absently noticing that his student's clothes were drying on a line over it.

"Meditating?" Gimli repeated. "Lad, we had thought you had fallen asleep."

"How long?" he repeated himself.

"Only an hour," Aragorn assured him. "There is still some food being kept warm." He gestured slightly to the pain in the fire that food in it.

"Thanks," he said shortly, reaching for the pan and taking it off the fire. Once the food was cool enough to move onto a plate, he did so and began to eat.

The other three were silent while he ate, but Legolas had something to say when he was done. "Crabandir, may I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"When Lady Galadriel spoke to you during the giving of gifts, she said that you had left that sword in her care. But I don't think that you would be one to leave a weapon behind. And it did not sound like she was talking to you, more like a different person."

"She was, in a sense. And you would be right; I would not leave a weapon like this behind."

"I do not understand."

He looked at the elf for a long moment and then turned to Gimli. "I've read some of the Dwarves, particularly about Durin the Deathless and how he would go to sleep and awake in his own line. In Southern-Earth, we have something similar. I've heard it be called reincarnation."

"I've heard it called that too," Gimli admitted. "But we dwarves only have Durin."

"The Elemental Nations have two, Indra and his younger brother, Asura. When their father chose Asura as his successor, Indra did not approve of the choice and fought his brother until they both died. But even death would not hold them. Their chakras would latch onto a person of their line, thus reincarnating them, in a sense. Their reincarnations would always fight against each other, until recent times."

"How do you that?"

"Because I am one of those two reincarnations," he answered. He reached down and held up the katana. "The Lady of the Wood said that I had left this in her care because in a sense, I did." He looked over at his sleeping student. "You could also say that I am also Izuna's father."

The looks he got were of confusion. "Please, explain," Aragorn said to him.

"I am the most recent reincarnation of Ōtsutsuki Indra. My predecessor was Uchiha Madara. When Lady Galadriel spoke to me, she was speaking to Indra."

"Really?" asked Legolas.

"Why do you think I hugged her? That was Indra's chakra making me do it."

"And your…opposite?" It didn't sound like the right word to the elf, but it was the only thing he could think to say.

But it didn't work for Sasuke. Instead of him answering, he just let his face go blank. "I've know who he is," he said shortly. It was the only thing he would say about the matter and the others were wise enough to not push the subject. Eventually, they went to sleep and left him with the watch.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I've probably offended a lot of Tolkien purists with what I've written in this chapter, but this is the _Lord of the Rings_ we're talking about here. It's all about the names and linages.

As for the katana itself, don't bother asking me if it has a name, it doesn't. I was a little inspired by the Archer chant from Fate/stay night when I was trying to write that poem, but it's more than likely a little wide of the mark.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	10. The fracture

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 10: The fracture

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Fellowship)

They were still traveling down the river, already several days beyond the borders of Lothlórien. Izuna had been made to walk on the water the second day, but he did with much more confidence and even though he had wobbled here and there, he did not fall in. But still, his sensei was visually impressed. He kept making Izuna walk on the water until he was satisfied, which wasn't until the fifth day on the river.

Aragorn paddled his boat in silence with Sasuke helping him from the front. As the boat went down the course of the river, the Ranger looked over at the boat with Boromir in it. They had a small argument two nights past and ever since, he felt uneasy with the man from Gondor.

(Flashback)

They had set upon another bank for the night. While the others were setting up the camp, he, Boromir, and Sasuke, were looking at the river itself. A log was floating past their camp, but they could see hints of fingers on the log and a head behind it.

Despite the fact that they could only see hints, the Ranger of the three knew who it was. "Gollum," he said quietly. "He's tracked us since Moria. I had hoped to lose him on the river. But he's too clever a waterman." He walked away to get a better look. The log wedged itself against a cropping of rocks, anchoring it and making it stop.

"And if he alerts the enemy to our whereabouts, it will make the crossing even more dangerous," Boromir said, keeping an eye on the log.

The Captain-General's words were also heard by Frodo, who felt nervous more so then he already was. He knew that Gollum had been following them since Moria, but the only time he had seen the creature was on the stairs in the Mines. For him to be just on the other side of the river was unnerving.

"Have some food, Mr. Frodo," Sam told him, unpacking the food as he spoke.

"No, Sam," he replied.

"You haven't eaten anything all day. You're not sleeping neither," his gardener told him. "Don't think I haven't noticed."

"Frodo, you should eat something," Izuna agreed with Sam. The half-elf was absently rubbing his right wrist. That morning before they set out, his sensei had placed a seal on that wrist, placing Aeglos inside so it would not hinder him out of combat. He had been taught to use it (it was a brief lesson), but he still couldn't believe it was there.

"I'm alright," Frodo told the two of them.

The half-elf let it go there, but Sam did not. "But you're not," he protested, going to Frodo's side. "I'm here to help you. I promised Gandalf I would."

For a long moment, the Ringbearer said and did nothing. Then he looked at his friend. "You can't help me, Sam. Not this time. Get some sleep." He couldn't hold the look any more and turned away. Sam said nothing. He just went back to the fire.

As the rest of the Fellowship tried to fall asleep, the three who were watching the river kept their eyes on the log. Boromir dared to take his eyes off to look at Aragorn. "Minas Tirith is the safer road," he told the Ranger from the north. "You know that. From there we can regroup. Strike out at Mordor from a place of strength."

"There is no strength in Gondor that can avail us," Aragorn told him.

"You were quick enough to trust the elves!" he said in reply, but only received silence for an answer. "Have you so little faith in your own people? Yes, there is weakness. There is frailty. But there is courage also, and honor to be found in Men," he told the heir of Isildur. "But you will not see that."

Aragorn tried to turn away, but Boromir grabbed him by the shoulder and stopped him from moving. "You are afraid!" the Captain-General accused him. "All your live, you have hidden in the shadows. Scared of who you are, of what you are."

He broke his arm free of Boromir's grip. He took a half-step away but then looked back. "I will not lead the Ring within a hundred leagues of your city!" he promised the man from Gondor.

That was end of that argument, for the sound of feet walking on water (something they had gotten used to) filled their ears. They looked and saw Sasuke walking on the water of the river. "What are you doing, Sasuke?" Boromir asked him with a loud whisper.

"Pest control," he answered shortly, still walking on the water. He went to about the midpoint of the river and stopped. He looked at the log, still wedged against the rocks. With a blur of his arm, he grabbed hold of a knife and threw it at the log.

It flew through the air and struck the log hard, landing just in between the gap that was created by the space of two fingers. The end result was that hand suddenly letting go of the log, which was followed with a loud yelp and a splash. When the splashing stopped, the hand was back on the log and a pair of eyes was glaring at him.

But that did not scare him. He responded in kind by activating his **Sharingan**, giving the log and the creature guiding it a level stare. "Move on," he ordered. In the long second that followed, nothing happened. Then the log dislodged itself from the rocks and began to float down the river again.

Once he saw that it was moving, Sasuke turned around and began walking back to the bank. But when he heard mutterings and what sounded like curses, he spun around with another knife at the ready. The sounds died away and the log floated away faster.

He lowered the knife and turned back to the bank of the river, walking across the water until he was back on land. "He will not stay away for long," Aragorn told him. "He will return."

"He's away for now," he replied, putting the knife away. "Be thankful for that."

(End Flashback)

Aragorn's memory of that night was cut short when he saw where they were. "Frodo," he said to the hobbit sitting in front of him, tapping his shoulder. "The Argonath!" he said as they came into view. "Long have I desired to look upon the kings of old. My kin."

Sasuke looked upon what the Ranger was speaking of. It was statues of two men on either side of the river. They held axes in one hand, but with the other they held out in a gesture of defiance. But while Aragorn looked upon them with reverence, all Sasuke could think of was the Valley of the End. "Who are they?" he asked quietly.

"They are Isildur and Anárion, sons of Elendil," Aragorn told him. "It was built to mark the northern border of Gondor, though that border has now changed."

That was all he said and Sasuke didn't press him. All he could do was look at the statues and be reminded of the Valley. It had been ten years since he saw it, so his image of it was more than likely vague (there was also the fact that it was in shambles the last time he had been there). But the two statues he saw before him were about the same height or so as of the ones in his memory.

An odd idea struck him as they passed by the statues. _"Did Madara see them when he had been here?"_ he wondered to himself. _"Was he the one who had built the statues at the Valley? Was it because of jealously? Or was it inspiration?"_ He didn't have an answer, so he let it go.

What lay beyond the statues was a lake. It was a fairly large one and it would take more than a few minutes to get from bank to bank. But what was interesting (and a little unnerving) was what lay directly opposite of the two statues. It was a waterfall, a large waterfall that was split into two by a large rock. From the distance they were at, where the edge of it looked like the edge of the world.

But they did not pay much attention to it. Instead, they rowed the boats to the western shore. Once they were there, they climbed out and began taking the supplies onto dry land. Boromir still sat in his boat, his feelings clashing inside of him. But his eyes were on Frodo, who felt his gaze.

Once the supplies were out of the boats and a fire had started, Aragorn told them the next step. "We cross the lake at nightfall. Hide the boats and continue on foot," he said to all who were there as he took the last of the supplies from the boats. "We approach Mordor from the north."

"Oh, yes? Just a simple matter of finding our way through Emyn Muil?" said Gimli when he heard that plan, standing up from his spot. His words weren't making Pippin more confident. "An impossible labyrinth of razor-sharp rocks! And after that, it gets even better! Festering, stinking marshlands as far as the eye can see."

"That is our road," the Ranger told him shortly. "I suggest you take some rest and recover your strength, Master Dwarf."

It was needless to say that said dwarf was insulted by that last remark. "Recover my…?!" he began to say, only to stop and growl half-heartedly.

Legolas, who had been watching the forest behind them, turned back and went straight to the Ranger. "We should leave now," he said quietly.

"No," Aragorn disagreed. "Orcs patrol the eastern shore. We must wait for cover of nightfall."

"It is not the eastern shore that worries me," the elf said, turning his gaze back at the forest moment. "A shadow and a threat had been growing in my mind. Something draws near. I can feel it." The man still looked a little skeptical but was not about to ignore his friend's warning.

"Recover strength?" Gimli still grumbled as Merry came back with a bundle of stick for the fire. "Pay no heed to that, young hobbit."

Merry wasn't really paying attention to what the dwarf was saying; he more focused on making sure his bundle didn't spill every which way once he put it on the ground. But once he had put it down and stood back up, he noticed something. "Where's Frodo?" he asked.

Those two words got the attention of the entire Fellowship (even waking Sam from his naps), for the Ringbearer was nowhere to be seen. But Aragorn noticed something else. "Where is Boromir?" he asked, seeing how the Captain-General's shield, which he never went anywhere without, was lying against his bag.

Sasuke was the first to take action. "We need to find them. We can't split up now."

"It'll take longer to find them if we all look together," Aragorn said, agreeing with the raven-haired shinobi. "We'll have to split up to find them more quickly." The rest of them agreed with the sentiment and quickly scattered.

* * *

><p>Frodo was walking amongst the ruins on the hill. He was told that the ruins here were called Amon Hen and the top was the Seat of Seeing. He was quiet as he walked; looking at all that was there. The ruins were completely overgrown, with trees and roots having worked their way through the stonework. He went walked past what used to be the head to a large statue, now it was lying on its side, covered in leaves.<p>

"_What did this place look like in its glory?"_ he asked himself. He tried to imagine it, to see the ruins as they once stood, with no leaves, tree branches, or roots to obscure them. But all he could see were the ruins as they were, wrecked and destroyed.

As the hobbit kept wandering, Boromir appeared with a bundle of sticks in his arms. "None of us should wander alone. You, least of all," he said to Frodo. "So much depends on you." The hobbit did not say a word. "Frodo?" he said with a tone of small concern.

Frodo looked away, so he stepped forward. "I know why you seek solitude. You suffer, I see it day by day. You sure you do not suffer needlessly?" Still, the hobbit said nothing. "There are other ways, Frodo. Other ways we might take."

"I know what you would say," Frodo told him. "It would seem like wisdom, but for the warning in my heart."

"Warning? Against what?" he demanded. He took another step forward, which made the Ringbearer step away and then around him. "We're all afraid, Frodo. But to let that fear drive us, to destroy what hope we have, don't you see that is madness?" He followed the hobbit, which him step back even more.

"There is no other way!"

"I ask only for the strength to protect my people!" he tried to explain, but he felt anger and threw his bundle down in a fury. He tried to compose himself and held out his hand. "If you would but lend me the Ring…"

"No!" Frodo said instantly, stepping back even further.

But he followed. "Why do you recoil? I am not thief."

"You are not yourself."

"What chance do you think you have?" he challenged the hobbit, something dark showing in his face and his words. "They will find you. They will take the Ring. And you will beg for death before the end!"

Frodo had heard enough of it and turned his back on the man from Gondor, walking away. That turned out to be the tipping point. "You fool!" Boromir spat out, going after him. "It is not yours save by unhappy chance! It could've been mine!" When Frodo ran, he ran after him and tackled him to the earth. "It should be mine! Give it to me!" he ordered as he struggled with the hobbit.

"No!" Frodo shouted at him.

"Give it to me!" But the Ringbearer put the Ring on and promptly disappeared from sight. He made his escape, knocking Boromir aside and fleeing from him. He looked around quickly, despite knowing that he would not find the hobbit. "I see your mind," he shouted at the surrounding woods. "You would take the Ring to Sauron! You go to your death, and to the death of us all!" He stood up with anger. "Curse you! Curse you and all the Halflings!"

His foot slipped beneath him, making him fall to the ground and hit his head on the earth. He lay there for a moment, and he looked shakily up. The madness and anger that engulfed him had disappeared and he realized what he had done. "Frodo?" he said to the woods, but he received no answer. "Frodo?" The woods still did not answer him and tears of shame began to fill his eyes. "What have I done?" How could he have been so weak? "Please, Frodo."

* * *

><p>"Frodo, I'm sorry!" The hobbit heard Boromir's words in the shadow world that he was in, but they sounded far away. He did not stop because of them either. He had run right up to the ruins of the Seat of Seeing. He heard his name again and he hid behind a cluster of rocks on top of the ruin.<p>

But he felt something pulling toward him, urging him to look up over the rocks and see. And he fell to that urging. He looked up over the edge of the rocks and saw the tower of Barad-dûr fly in closer. Once he saw the base of it as close as he could, he flew up to the top and soon, the Eye was all he could see.

The Black Speech began to fill his ears as his two eyes stared at the one. It began to loom closer and closer towards him, the Black Speech still speaking into his ears. He stepped, trying to take the Ring off his finger. He slipped and fell off of the ruins, going back into the real world just as he landed on the ground.

He laid there in shock for a moment or two and when he finally sat up, he was momentarily confused by how he got up to the top of the hill. "Frodo?" said Aragorn, standing behind him and making him turn quickly around.

"It has taken Boromir," he told the Ranger.

"Where is the Ring?" he asked, stepping forward.

What had happened with the man from Gondor was still fresh in Frodo's mind. "Stay away!" he told Aragorn, leaping from where he sat and going for the ruins.

The Ranger went after him, not sure what this was all about. "Frodo, I swore to protect you," he said to the Ringbearer.

"Can you protect me from yourself?" Frodo challenged him. Both of their eyes looked down at the hobbit's closed hand, which still held the Ring inside of it. He opened his hand, so the Man could see the Ring. "Would you destroy it?"

Aragorn looked at the Ring in the hobbit's hand. He could hear it whispering in his ears. It whispered all his names, telling him what he could do if he just took it. He walked forward and stretched out his hand, holding it over the Ring and making Frodo very nervous. But to the hobbit's surprise, he knelt down and closed his hand, covering the Ring and silencing the whispers.

"I would have gone with you to the end. Into the very fires of Mordor," he told Frodo as he gently pushed the hand away, now seeing what he was planning on doing.

"I know," the Ringbearer said in reply. Silently, he was glad someone approved of his decision. "Look after the others, especially Sam. He will not understand."

"Aragorn!" called out Sasuke, his voice getting closer until he finally appeared from behind a wall and saw the two of them. "Good, you…" He trailed off as he felt the ground tremble beneath his feet and angry growls filled his ears. They were not alone on this hill.

Aragorn felt the same thing the shinobi did, but he did not hear the growls. But he did see something that made him stand up and drawn his sword. "Go, Frodo!" he ordered the hobbit, who realized what the Ranger had seen and confirmed it by drawing his glowing blade. "Run," Aragorn told him. "Run!"

The hobbit did as he was ordered and fled down the hill. Aragorn walked out the opposite side of the ruins, coming to where Sasuke was standing. In front of them was the host of Uruk-hai that had come out of Isengard. Neither of them said a word, the Ranger simply raised his sword to his face in salute and the shinobi drew his katana, allowing the sound of it being drawn out of the scabbard fill the air.

The host did not fear the two Men with swords. They charged forward with weapons drawn and the two Men met them. The battle was even-sided, but in different terms. The Men had the skill but the Uruk-hai had the numbers. And even when Aragorn and Sasuke slew Uruk-hai after Uruk-hai, some of them still got pass them.

* * *

><p>"Boromir!" shouted Izuna as he went through the woods, trying to find the Captain-General. When they had split up, the hobbits had gone to look for Frodo while his sensei followed Aragorn. Legolas and Gimli had gone with him but once the sounds of fighting began to ring down from the summit, they raced up the hill.<p>

That left him with finding Boromir, which he did so with a much quicker pace once the sounds of fighting began. "Boromir, where are you?" he called out as he hurried through the woods. He soon spotted the man sitting against the trunk of one of the trees. "Boromir!"

The Captain-General looked up at him, "Izuna?" he made it sound like he did not believe what he was seeing.

"You have to get on your feet! Those who are on the summit are being attacked! We need to help them!"

"I can't," he said, not moving from where he sat.

The half-elf was surprised to hear those words. "What do you mean, you can't?"

"I can't help them. I've betrayed the Fellowship."

"What are you saying? How could you have betrayed the Fellowship? We're all still here, but we're under attack. We need everyone's strength."

"I can't!" he repeated himself. "I've betrayed the Fellowship! I tried to take the Ring from Frodo!" His words echoed throughout the woods, reminding him of what he had done. "I desired the Ring, I wanted it for myself. I tried to take it from him and in my failure, I cursed him. I've betrayed his trust in me."

The half-elf didn't say anything at first. He just listened to what the man from Gondor said. Only when he was done did he speak. "Do you regret what you did, Boromir?" he asked.

The Captain-General looked up at him. "Of course I am!" If he could go back, he wouldn't have that conversation with Frodo.

"Then prove it by getting back on your feet and fight!"

At that exact moment, a dark and cruel voice rang out through the woods and the hill. "FIND THE HALFLING AND THE BLOOD-EYED PERSON! FIND THEM!"

Both Boromir and Izuna shared looks at those words. "They mean to take the hobbits!" Boromir said in horror, finally standing up on his feet again.

"And Sasuke-sensei!" said Izuna. "We have to go and fight whoever they are off. We need to protect our comrades!" He raced off into the woods and Boromir followed with his sword drawn.

* * *

><p>Aragorn had backed himself up to the top of the ruins fighting off the Uruk-hai that followed him. But when he heard the Uruk-hai that spoke utter those words, he looked and saw that more and more of the Uruk-hai were getting down the side of the hill where Frodo had fled. "Elendil!" he roared his war cry as he leapt off the ruins and landed amidst a group of the Uruk-hai.<p>

If it had been any other time, Sasuke would've rolled his eyes and make a comment. But it wasn't any other time and he had to focus on what he was doing, which was cutting a path to the leader. It had always been his experience that if you cut down the leader, everyone else pretty much falls to pieces.

As he cut his way through the Uruk-hai host, he admired how his katana cut through the flesh. The way he handled and used felt like he had done several times before (considering his status as Indra's incarnation, it was probably true).

He managed to fight his way to the one who had spoken (who he had taken to be the leader) but did not get a hit on him. Another Uruk-hai stepped in front of his blade's path, getting cut down. In the few seconds that this happened, the leader had stepped back and vanished. Then Sasuke realized that he made his way too deep into the body of the host. It would be difficult to get out now.

"_Difficult, but not impossible,"_ he thought to himself, beginning to channel his chakra into his eyes. He had not activated his **Sharingan** yet, wanting to see how he did with the katana before bringing that out onto the field. And if they were looking for him, why would he hide?

Help for the two Men came in the form of a Dwarf and an Elf. Gimli and Legolas came out of the ruins and began attacking the still moving host. Gimli helped Aragorn get free of the group he literally landed in and Legolas helped Sasuke get out of his spot in the host with his bow and his arrows, opening a path for the raven-haired shinobi.

Once he saw the path, he took it, getting out with minimal problems. "Aragorn, Crabandir, go!" the elf prince ordered the two men. They all knew that he meant go after the ones who had already gotten down the hill.

* * *

><p>When he heard those words echo through the woods, Frodo ran faster down the hill. <em>"Must run, must run, must run!"<em> he thought to himself. As he ran, he tripped over a root and fell forward. He rolled forward an inch or so before stopping and once he did, he crawled for the nearby tree and tried to hide himself by placing his back against the part of the trunk facing downhill.

It worked. There were a few Uruk-hai who came down the hill but they were so focused on going down, they did not look to the sides, going pass their target without even seeing him. _"I'm safe,"_ he thought to himself as he watched them go past.

"Frodo!" Merry's voice whispered into his ear. When he looked over at where it was coming from, he saw Merry and Pippin hiding behind a half-rotten log.

"Hide here. Quick!" Pippin urged him. "Come on!"

He knew what they were trying to do for him. The log was a better place to hide from the Uruk-hai. It covered more of his body and there was enough room for all three of them to hide behind it. But he did not move from the trunk of the tree. He just stared at the two other hobbits.

Pippin didn't understand why Frodo hadn't moved from his spot. "What's he doing?" he asked Merry.

The Brandybuck stared at the Baggins. The two of them had grown up in the same house for a time, so Merry understood what Frodo was thinking most of the time. And when the Ringbearer shook his head, he understood. "He's leaving," he said quietly. Frodo could only look away at those words.

"No!" Pippin declared, jumping out from behind the log.

"Pippin!" Merry went after him. But the shouts and yells of more Uruk-hai filled the air and they both saw more coming down the hill. He and Pippin looked back at their friend. "Run, Frodo! Go!" he ordered before facing the Uruk-hai. "Hey! Hey, you! Over here!" he shouted up the hill, pointing his finger and then waving at them.

"Hey! This way!" shouted Pippin, waving his arms as well. That got the attention of the Uruk-hai, even more so when they started running. The host chased after the two hobbits, leaving the other hobbit free to get away. "It's working!" the Took said as they ran away from Frodo, stopping momentarily to look at the Uruk-hai.

"I know it's working!" Merry told him. "Run!"

They kept running, they ran away from Frodo and led the Uruk-hai away from him. They didn't look back because they knew that they were being chased. But as they made their way across a ruined bridge, they realized their mistake. They had thought that the Uruk-hai were behind them, but it turned out that they were in front of them as well. They had inadvertently put themselves in the midst of a pincer attack.

They drew their swords, but they did not know how many they could take with them before they were killed. They prepared themselves to fight off the Uruk-hai that was coming towards them with a giant axe in its hands, only to see Boromir and Izuna appeared from the corner of their eyes.

The man and half-elf raced towards the axe-wielding Uruk and caught him just before it brought the axe down. While Boromir pulled the axe from its grasp, Izuna threw a kick and promptly broke its leg. It roared in pain momentarily before Boromir buried the axe in its back. The two left the Uruk and stayed close to the hobbits, who were already defending themselves.

"I'm really happy to see you two!" Pippin said as he buried his sword into the stomach of an Uruk.

"Focus on the fight, Pippin!" Izuna told him while keeping his eyes on two Uruks coming straight at him with swords in the air. He didn't go for them at the same time, instead he went for one, disarming and killing it. Then he turned his attention to the other one and killed it too. This all happened in the space of ten seconds and he was using his **Sharingan** for every second.

He picked up both swords, noting how different they were to the swords he had seen in Lothlórien. Those swords were gently curved and graceful, these were straight and crude, but they would do. His sensei had taught him something about swordplay, so he wouldn't be too useless with them in his hands.

Another round of Uruk-hai came at them, this time from all directions. "Stay together!" Boromir ordered the other three there. They did as instructed and kept together as the Uruk-hai attacked.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, higher up on the hill, other members of the Fellowship were still fighting off the Uruks. They had moved down to the summit to try and cut off the flow of the Uruks, only to be blockaded by them next to a ruined wall.<p>

Gimli had been drawn out to fight on the outskirts while Sasuke was fighting an Uruk who could handle an axe. They were going back and forth with each other around the edge of the ruined wall and the Uruk was particularly keen on keeping him away from the others. While Aragorn was trying to fight off an Uruk-hai who had its hands around his throat, Legolas was shooting any who came close to them. But since he was trying to do that, he couldn't help the others.

It was Gimli who first managed to break free of the fight he was in, killing the last Uruk that was keeping him on the outskirts. He went to where Sasuke was fighting and interceded himself into the fight. "I've got this, lad! Go help Aragorn!" he told Sasuke. The shinobi broke off and went for Aragorn. When the Uruk tried to go after him, the dwarf stood in his way. "Oh no, you don't!"

Sasuke went for the Uruk wrestling with Aragorn and sliced its legs off. Without the support of said legs, the Uruk fell to the ground, dragging the Ranger down with it. It didn't do anything since Sasuke plunged his katana into its head, killing it. "Thank you," Aragorn said to the shinobi as he stood back.

Just then, three sharp loud blasts from a horn echoed up the hill, making them all turn to where it was coming from. "The Horn of Gondor," Legolas said, recognizing the sound.

"Boromir," Aragorn said in realization.

Sasuke didn't say anything, he just stared running down the hill and everyone else followed him. But the Uruk-hai realized what they were trying to do. A few of them broke off from the flow that was heading down the hill to stop them. The shinobi didn't waste time in fighting off the Uruk trying to attack him.

"_Izuna, you better not have done anything stupid,"_ he thought to himself as he decapitated the Uruk. He had heard the leader shout out to find the blood-eyed person, which meant **Sharingan**. That meant both sensei and student were targets as long as their **Sharingan** were active. If they were kept inactive, they were safe.

The problem was while he had figured it out; he wasn't so sure about his student. That was why he was hoping that Izuna wasn't doing anything stupid. As he fought through the host, he noticed that they were going on direction. He decided to try something and broke away from the Uruks, going down the hill in a different way.

* * *

><p>Izuna's <strong>Sharingan<strong> were alight as he continued to fight off the Uruk-hai with the swords. He hadn't thought to pull out Aeglos when he ran to the hobbits and since he had the swords, he didn't bother. Three blasts from the Horn of Gondor filled the area as Boromir blew it again. _"Let them come soon,"_ the half-elf thought as he drove the sharpened points of the swords into an Uruk's brain.

Another three blasts were blown as they all backed away. More and more Uruks were running down the hill and heading straight for them. "Run! Run!" Boromir ordered the other three.

Merry and Pippin ran farther then he or Izuna did. But when they noticed at the other two were still fighting, they reached down and started throwing stones at the incoming Uruks. "Take that!" Pippin shouted as he hurled a stone at an Uruk, successfully hitting it in the head and making it go down hard.

Boromir was still blowing the Horn when an Uruk tried to attack. He reacted quickly enough to defend himself, but that in turn made the blowing of the Horn end abruptly. To those who were not there, it would've sounded like something bad had happened. But the Captain-General did not think of that when he fighting off the Uruk-hai, he was more focused on killing it.

Izuna was beginning to feel the weight of the swords on his arms, more so on his left then his right. He had only gotten some basic lessons in swordplay from his sensei and they were for a different kind of sword. The most he could do with the kind of swords he was using was either use the sharpen point on the back or as cleavers. _"I won't be able to use both of them for much longer,"_ he thought to himself.

At that moment, with his **Sharingan** lit, he saw something flying through the air. It was an arrow and it was flying straight at Boromir. Thinking of only one thing to do, he threw one of the swords at the arrow. _"Please hit,"_ he thought to himself.

It did and the arrow was snapped in two. It did further good by striking an Uruk and knocking it out cold. Boromir turned his head to see what had happened and gave a short nod of thanks to Izuna. _"That's twice my life has been saved,"_ he thought to himself, remembering how Aragorn saved his life in Moria.

"Ah! Help!" shouted Pippin, making the man and half-elf turned around. One of the Uruks had gotten past them and was going straight for the hobbits.

"Hit it, Pip!" Merry told his friend. They threw stones at it, but it used its shield to block the stones being thrown. But when it reached them, it got a surprise. The two hobbits leapt at it and brought it slamming into the ground. While it was stunned, they stabbed it with their swords. Once they were sure it was dead, they got off and scrambled for more stones to throw.

"Well done!" Boromir shouted at them while still keeping his attention on the Uruk-hai around him. As one leapt at him, he ducked down to let it land on his back. He stood back up, making the Uruk fall to the earth and die when he impaled it with his sword. He pulled it out and swung it upwards to counter a strike from another Uruk. The sound of metal clashing against metal rang as the two struck each other. In that moment, he pushed forward and caught the Uruk off-guard.

Izuna made sure he kept close to the man from Gondor. He had both hands on the remaining sword and swung it like a cleaver. He could feel his arms getting tired but he could not let go of the sword. _"If I drop this sword in the middle of a battle, what would Sasuke-sensei say?"_ he asked himself as he used the sword to block an attack and then kicked the attacking Uruk off of its feet. _"I wouldn't be able to look him in the eyes again!"_

So he kept on swinging the sword even when his arms felt like they were burning. He didn't try to go for any big swings lest he leave himself wide open. He kept it to swings he could control easily with what little training he had. It was working for him and he was able to kill any Uruk that was coming at him.

Unbeknownst to any of them, Lurtz was standing at the outskirts of the battle, watching it with an analytical eye and with nocked bow in hand. He saw the blood-eyes in the elf and had been confused, for Saruman had told him it would be a man. Yet, there was an elf with black hair and blood-eyes standing right there and fighting off his Uruks. Perhaps Saruman had been mistaken about who had the blood-eyes?

He reached down for a small vial that was given to him by Saruman. The White Wizard had told him to use specifically for the blood-eyes, saying that it would shut down the energy he would use and put him into a coma. While he still wasn't sure if this was the right person, he would not let such a chance to slip by him. He opened the vial and poured the green glop inside onto the arrow he had nocked. Once the tip of the arrow had been covered, he pulled the bowstring back and released it, firing the arrow at the blood eyes.

In the time the arrow was fired and was flying straight at its intended target, Boromir saw coming and where it was flying towards. "Look out!" he cried, shoving Izuna aside.

Izuna was looking in the opposite direction when he heard those words and was surprised when he felt himself get shoved. The half-elf fell to the ground, losing his grip on the sword. When he turned around to see what that was all about, he saw a horrifying sight: Boromir standing before him with an arrow in his side.

Lurtz growled angrily at the failure of the arrow. "Get in there!" he ordered his second-in-command, shoving him forward. The Uruk did as he was ordered, charging into the fight with several more Uruks at his back.

Boromir felt pain like he had never felt before burning from his side but he would not let that stop him. With a shout, he turned back around to face the Uruk-hai. He killed more of them as they kept coming at him until the strength in his arms disappeared and his sword fell from his fingers. The Uruks didn't bother to kill him. They just swatted him aside like he was nothing.

"Boromir!" cried Izuna, scrambling back to his feet. He was reaching for his right wrist when an Uruk slugged him hard across the face, making him spit out blood and becoming nauseously dizzy. The end of an axe's shaft finished him, knocking him unconscious and making him fall to the ground.

Both Merry and Pippin could only stand and watch in shock as this all happen. Realizing that they had to do something, they dropped the stone that lay in the palms of their hands, grabbed their swords and daggers, and charged forward to protect their friends with a cry of defiance on their lips.

But their plan did not work. The Uruk-hai did not even bother to try fighting the two hobbits. They just grabbed them and lifted them up into holding positions, making them drop their weapons. Izuna's unconscious body was also picked up. Once they were grabbed, the host of Uruk-hai began to run away with the two hobbits and half-elf, breaking the swords and daggers the hobbits had tried to wield beneath their feet.

Boromir felt too weak to do anything to stop what was happening. He tried to rise up from where he had been knocked down, but a foot seemingly appeared out of nowhere and pressed him back down to the ground. When he looked up to see who the foot belonged too, he saw it was an Uruk-hai with a bow. They were the only two left alive in the area.

Lurtz had an arrow nocked and drawn, pointing it directly at the Man. He let out a snarl of satisfaction as he aimed the arrow. Boromir knew he was a dead man when he saw the arrow being drawn back. There was nothing he would be able to do. The only thing he could do was close his eyes and prey. _"Eru, Father of All, take me gently to the Halls of Mandos and let me judged with mercy."_

But to his surprise, there was no arrow. Instead, what he heard was the sound of one body slamming into another and a surprise snarl of anger from the Uruk-hai. When he opened his eyes, he saw that Aragorn was now fighting the Uruk-hai. His heart was filled with relief at the sight, even though he still felt weak.

The Ranger from the North had been glad to have reached the scene just before the Uruk had fired that arrow. He slammed into the Uruk, making the arrow fly somewhere else and the two of them away from Boromir. When he stood, ready to fight, he saw that Lurtz had already grabbed a sword and shield.

Without saying a word, the two of them leapt at one another. The proceeding fight was more akin to a brawl then an actual fight. More fists were used then swords, especially after Lurtz pinned the man to a tree with his shield. Aragorn was able to himself in time to save his head, but the fact that it had happened surprised him.

Their fight almost turned into a wrestling match when Lurtz tried to reach for him when he was momentarily sitting beneath the tree. Instead, he punched the Uruk in its stomach, drew the dagger that had been a gift from Lord Celeborn, and plunged it into the Uruk's leg.

Lurtz roared with pain and frustration with he felt the dagger pierce his flesh. He grabbed hold of the man and tossed him away from the tree. In a show of strength and rejection, he pulled the dagger out of his leg, licked the blood on the blade extensively, and then threw it at the man.

Aragorn could barely lift his sword up in time to swing at the incoming dagger, swatting it away. He stood back up and charged Lurtz, hitting the Uruk in the stomach with his shoulder. The attack pushed the Uruk back and when he leapt away, it gave him more room to fight with.

Lurtz was undeterred and attack the man again, this time with only a sword. Again, it was more of a brawl then a swordfight. Whenever they could, they would punch each other with a free hand. And yet, Aragorn looked worse than the Uruk did. That didn't make him stop in the fight. If anything, it made him fight on.

They went back and forth against one another, moving around in the area. Aragorn was using every trick he knew to kill the Uruk, but Lurtz kept coming at him with rage-filled strength. The man did not know if he would be able to win this fight while the Uruk just wanted to kill him. They were both surprised to see a sword suddenly burst out of the Uruk's stomach.

While Lurtz roared in pain again, Aragorn took the opportunity to swing his sword and behead the first Uruk-hai that had been created. As the headless body of the creature fell to the ground, he looked to see Boromir on his knees behind it, his hand weakly gripping the sword. He then fell to the side, what strength he had mustered to crawl and then stab the Uruk leaving him.

"No," Aragorn said in horror, instantly going to the Captain-General's side. He rolled him over so they could see each other face-to-face.

"They took the little ones!" Boromir told him with a gasp of breath. "They took Izuna!"

"Hold still," he said, trying to see if there were any injuries beside the arrow. So far, there were none.

"Frodo, where is Frodo?"

His hands stilled for a moment when he heard those words. "I let Frodo go," he admitted. He had been afraid that the man from Gondor would be angry to hear those words.

Instead, he smiled with relief. "Then you did what I could not. I tried to take the Ring from him," he confessed.

"The Ring is beyond our reach now."

"Forgive me. I did not see it. I have failed you all." Tears threatened to leak out from his eyes at those words.

"No, Boromir," Aragorn disagreed with him. "You fought bravely. You kept your honor." The sound of feet running lightly on the ground filled his ears and when he looked back, he saw Legolas coming towards him. "Help me, Legolas!" he called out to the elf prince. "Boromir's been shot!" Legolas did not waste time coming to his side and helping him heal the Captain-General of Gondor.

(Location: Frodo)

He stood at the bank of the river, staring at the river and the other bank where the path to Mordor lay. The Ring was still in his hand and it felt heavy. _"I wish the Ring had never come to me. I wish none of this had happened."_ The words he had said in Moria came back to him as he looked down at the Ring. Tears leaked out from his eyes as he torn them away from his burden.

But even as he remembered those words, the words of Gandalf came to him as well. _"So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All you have to decide is what to do with the time given to you."_ And he had decided.

With a renewed resolve, he closed his fist around the Ring and placed it in his pocket. He went for one of the boats, only to stop when he heard someone else standing on the bank with him. He turned his head to see and saw it was Sasuke. "Don't try to stop me, Sasuke," he said with his hands still on the boat. "I have to do this."

The raven-haired shinobi did not say anything at first. Instead, he just looked at the hobbit. "I won't stop you, Frodo," he finally said. "But don't go alone."

"I must travel alone," the Ringbearer said, turning his attention back to the boat, pushing it out onto the river.

"That was my mistake," Sasuke's voice carried over the air and into his ears. When he turned back, the shinobi was walking away.

Sasuke wasn't worried about Frodo, though. He was confident that a very loyal gardener would reach him in time.

* * *

><p>"Hurry!" said Legolas as he pushed a boat into the river. "Frodo and Sam have reached the eastern shore." The remaining members of the Fellowship had reached the bank just to see the two hobbits disappear into the trees on the other shore. When no one else joined the elf in pushing the boat, he turned to see them all just standing there. "You mean not to follow them," he said to Aragorn.<p>

"Frodo's fate is no longer in our hands," the Ranger replied. Boromir looked away at those words. His face was a bit pale due to the blood he lost. But he did have the arrow safely taken out.

"Then it is all been in vain," Gimli declared, walking back towards them from where he stood. "The Fellowship has failed."

For a long moment, no one said anything and it seemed like those words were true. But then Aragorn roused their spirits. "Not if we hold true to each other," he told them all. "We will not abandon Merry, Pippin, and Izuna to torment and death. Not while we have strength left."

"I'll agree with that," Sasuke said from where he stood near the woods. He was not done with his student.

Aragorn went back to the supplies left on the shore and picked the dagger he had gifted with, having retrieved it earlier. "Leave all that can be spared behind. We travel light," he declared as he sheathed the dagger. "Let's hunt some orc." He turned and went back into the woods, with Boromir right on his heels.

Sasuke soon followed, leaving the elf and the dwarf on the bank of the river. But it did not stay like that for long. "Yes!" Gimli agreed passionately, running after the men with a laugh. Legolas was right beside him. Together, the five members of the Fellowship went on the hunt.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

We now have a change in the story, Boromir's still alive. That might be a bit of a Fanfiction cliché, but there's a reason.

As for why Izuna didn't whip out Aeglos at the beginning, he's still young by elf standards and this was his first battle. He wasn't going to be thinking straight.

From here on out, Frodo and Sam's journey will be pretty much the same. So I won't cover it (what would be the point if I did?).

I'll see you all next chapter!


	11. The hunters and the hunted

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 11: The hunters and the hunted

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Uruk-hai host)

They ran fast and hard from the western bank of the River Anduin, stopping only to rest when they had to. As they ran, the forests that covered the western bank began to thin out until they were completely replaced with hilly and rocky land.

As they ran through a small rocky valley that was created by two little cliffs, Pippin tried to make sure his friend was okay. "Merry! Merry!" he said, trying to get the attention of his friend. But Merry was unconscious. Both the hobbits and the half-elf had their hands bounded, but only Merry and Pippin were being carried. Izuna had been forced to run on his own legs.

All of a sudden, the Uruk-hai stopped to a halt. In the large rocks before them, orcs came into view. But these were orcs of Mordor, sent by Sauron to Saruman, technically as a gift, but to really keep an eye on the White Wizard (he might've had control over the Istari, but that did not mean Sauron trusted him completely).

"You're late!" the leader of the Mordor orcs, Grishnákh, snapped at the Uruk-hai. "Our master grows impatient. He wants the Shire-rats now!"

Lurtz's second-in-command, Uglúk, had taken over command when it had become apparent that their leader was dead. Since he was an Uruk-hai, he looked down at the orcs of Mordor, thinking themselves to be lesser and inferior creatures. "I don't take orders from orc-maggots!" he snarled at Grishnákh. "Saruman will have his prize. We will deliver them!"

It was obvious to anyone who could look that the two different kinds of orc had separate masters. But since the so-called "prize" was in the hands of the Uruk-hai, that was the plan the orcs of Mordor were forced to go with, maintaining the image of loyalty to the White Wizard (that didn't stop Grishnákh from mocking Uglúk with miming speech once the Uruk's back was turned).

At that point, Merry started to moan. "Merry!" said Pippin, seeing his fellow hobbit move his head. But he was still unconscious. "Merry? Wake up!" It wasn't doing anything. During the run from the Anduin, Merry had been struck on the head, knocking him unconscious and making the wound on his head bleed.

Pippin didn't what to do. Deciding to take a risk, he looked to a nearby Uruk who was taking a drink from a flask. "My friend is sick," he said. "He needs water, please."

Uglúk heard the hobbit and turned back to see what was going on. "Sick, is he?" he repeated with a cruel tone to his voice. "Give him some medicine, boys!" A nearby Uruk-hai roared in response, pulled out his own flask, and proceeded to pour its contents down the throat of the Brandybuck. Whatever the liquid was, it was a foul thing that managed to offend both the nose as well as the tongue and was clearly not water.

As the stuff went down Merry's throat, he began to choke on it somewhat. "Stop it!" Pippin told the Uruk with the flask, who only ignored him.

"Can't take his draught!" declared Uglúk with an ugly laugh, making the rest of the Uruk-hai laugh with him.

"Leave him alone!"

The leader of the Uruk-hai turned his attention to the still conscious hobbit. "Why? You want some?" he threatened. "Huh?" All he got was scared silence. "Then keep your trap shut!"

"You coward!" spoke Izuna's voice from the back of the host.

Uglúk turned in the direction of the voice. "What was that?" he demanded, pushing through the Uruk's until he was standing in front of the speaker.

Even when his hands were bound together as well as a rope, Izuna was still defiant. "You heard me," he said, spitting at the Uruk's feet. "You are a coward who would rather torment bound prisoners then face them free-handed!"

The Uruks standing around him snarled and growled at those words. But they also looked at their leader. If he showed weakness, his position would soon be open. But Uglúk did not show weakness. "You want me to fight me, maggot?" he asked Izuna before driving his fist into the half-elf's stomach. "You'll have no luck. Saruman wants you alive. But I'm sure he won't mind if you come with a couple of broken bones. And you'll get them if you keep talking." He turned away, not seeing Izuna hiding something in his hand.

As he walked away, Merry came to. "Merry," Pippin said once he realized that fact.

"Hello, Pip," Merry said with a tiredness in his voice.

"You're hurt."

"I'm fine," he assured him. "It was just an act."

"An act?" repeated Pippin, surprised by those words.

"See? I fooled you too." His smile faded away. "Don't worry about me, Pippin."

One of the Uruk-hai in the front of the host began sniffing the air, having caught something on the air. "What is it?" Uglúk demanded once he saw the Uruk sniffing the air. "What do you smell?"

"Man-flesh," the Uruk replied. Those two words made the rest of the orcs and Uruk-hai look around the area.

"They picked up our trail," the Uruk-hai growled in realization.

"Aragorn," Pippin said in a whisper.

"Sensei," Izuna whispered to himself, a hope growing in his heart.

"LET'S MOVE!" bellowed Uglúk. The Uruk-hai and the orcs began running again, putting more distance between them and the man-flesh. As they ran away, Pippin realized that he needed to leave some sort of clue. Looking down at the brooch holding his cloak, he saw his clue. He used his teeth to tear it off and spit it out onto the ground. Hopefully, Aragorn and the others would be able to find it.

(Location: Sasuke)

"Things are much harder than I originally thought," Sasuke admitted from atop his rock.

"**What did you expect?"** Indra's image asked him, sitting on his own rock.

"I don't know. But what I do know that if Saruman is with Sauron, the West might be on the verge of a pincer hold." If Saruman attacked from the north and Sauron from the east, the outcome would be very favorable for them. "We're going to need help."

"**And how should I care about this?"**

"I did not say that you would." He was talking to the original him, so to speak. He knew what would be said.

"**Then you have no business speaking to me. Leave until you actually have something to say."**

The rock garden disappeared and he found himself back in the real world. _"Did Naruto have to deal with the Kyūbi like that?"_ he idly wondered as he stood up from where he sat on a small boulder. He wasn't a Jinchūriki, so he had no idea. This was probably as close as he was going to get.

He took a moment to look over at Boromir, who was sitting against a boulder. The Captain-General looked better than he did at the River Anduin, with more color on his face than before. But there were still those moments when he looked like he wouldn't be able to take another step. Hopefully, those moments would not last.

"Their pace has quickened," Aragorn spoke from where he laid on a large rock with his ear on it, using a trick he had learned from his years as a Ranger. "They must have caught our scent." He all but leapt up from the rock. "Hurry!" he called out to the others as he started to run.

Sasuke and Boromir were right behind him and Legolas was not far behind. "Come on, Gimli!" he shouted to the last of them before running off.

Gimli stood up from where he had sat down, breathing heavily. "Three days and nights pursuit," he said to himself. "No food, no rest, and no sign of our quarry, but what bare rock can tell!" But that didn't stop him from going after the other four. Once he got his energy back, he started to run as well.

They had been tracking the host of Uruk-hai for as long as the dwarf had said. It was hard going but with each second, they were getting closer and closer to the Uruk-hai and their captured friends. That was what kept them going when one of them felt like they were about to drop. It also helped that when one looked like he was about to drop, one of the others would challenge him to a small race, just to get the competitive spirit going (it was used mostly on Gimli).

But even as they chased after the Uruk-hai, it felt sometimes like they weren't getting any closer to their prey. All they had to go on was the multitude of faint tracks left in the wake of the Uruk-hai. There was no sight of the creatures themselves. But they did not stop. They kept going. They had to keep going.

But their hunt produced fruit at times. As they ran through a valley, Aragorn saw something in the ground. Kneeling down, he pulled the thing, recognizing its shape once he saw all of it. "Not idly do the leaves of Lórien fall," he declared as he looked upon a leaf brooch.

Legolas stopped when he saw what was in the Ranger's hand. "They may yet be alive," he said in realization.

Boromir had been by Aragorn's side when he picked it up and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Eru," he said.

The Ranger amongst them got back onto his feet. "Less than a day ahead of us," he said to the others. "Come!" He started running and the others followed.

Gimli was the last one to follow, falling down a slope that the rest of them had come down to enter the valley. "Come, Gimli!" Legolas told him while still running. "We are gaining on them!"

"I'm wasted on cross-country," he shouted back as he chased them. "We Dwarves are natural sprinters: very dangerous over short distances!"

"So you won't mind if I decided to race you for the next mile and win do you?" Sasuke asked him from where he ran, looking back at the dwarf.

That got him up and rearing. "I did not say that, lad! Now hold still so that I may beat you!" He began to pick up his pace in order to catch up.

"No chance," the shinobi told him, keeping the pace he was running at (which was a little slower than his usual speed).

"Get back here!" The two of them raced one another for that mile, keeping up with the rest of the group.

Their little race did not last that much longer. When they got up with the rest of the group, they had all stopped to look at the land before them. It was a vast plain that seemed to go on forever and was littered with clusters of rocks. The rocks were not so many that it was more rock then grass. It was the opposite.

Aragorn knew where they were. "Rohan, home of the Horse-lords," he said to the others.

"King Théoden still ruled when I had left Minas-Tirith," Boromir told them, adding his two cents.

Sasuke had been in Rohan before, having crisscrossed it multiple times before in his wanderings. The people who lived there in scattered villages and small towns had always given him odd looks when he refused a horse. Some of the younger villagers always challenged him to a race and he always refused. But aside from those things, he found the people likable enough.

But Aragorn saw something else. "There's something strange at work here," he said. "Some evil give speeds to these creatures, sets its will against us."

"We should keep going," Boromir suggest. They all agreed with the idea and they moved down the slopes, their speed quickening slightly.

Legolas went down the slope first and got a clear view of the surrounding area. "Legolas, what do your Elf-eyes see?" Aragorn called out to him.

He looked and saw what they were looking for. "The Uruks turn northwest," he told them all. His eyes widened slightly as he realized what that meant, yet still he tracked them. "They are taking the Hobbits to Isengard!"

"Saruman," the Ranger said to himself.

Boromir came to a sudden realization. "He knew that a hobbit carried the Ring, but he didn't know who it was. That's why Merry and Pippin were taken!"

"That may be, but why was Izuna taken as well?"

"You know the answer to that, Aragorn," Sasuke said to him, coming beside the Ranger. "We all know the answer to that." They quickly caught up to Legolas.

"I'm not sure I do, Crabandir," the elf prince said to him.

"Yes, you do. Everyone on Amon Hen heard the shout that Uruk leader roared." They did. It wasn't like they could forget it.

"_FIND THE HALFLING AND THE BLOOD-EYED PERSON! FIND THEM!"_

It was that shout that made fight all the harder on the hill, to protect Frodo from being captured. But the Ringbearer wasn't the only target. "You don't think that…" Boromir started to ask, only to trail off.

But Sasuke nodded. "I do. Saruman wanted his creatures to capture me for my eyes. There was no possible way he could've know about Izuna in the time we left Lothlórien. The Uruks must've thought that he was the target and took him. If they get him to Saruman, the Wizard will try to use him to breed the **Sharingan** into his next batch of creatures."

That thought burrowed deep into their minds and stayed there as a constant image. Those who weren't an Uchiha had seen the **Sharingan** in action. If Uruk-hai had those for eyes, it would not be something they wished to face. But Sasuke had a different fear then them. What he was afraid was if they got Izuna to Saruman and the White Wizard would be able to figure out to breed the **Mangekyō Sharingan** into his creatures. That was a terrifying thought just by itself.

"Durin's Beard!" swore Gimli. "We cannot let that happen!"

"Then we must make haste," Legolas said, taking off again. "They run as if the very whips of their masters are behind them!"

They all took after him, Gimli being in the back. "Keep breathing. That's the key. Breathe," he told himself as he followed the others.

(Location: Uruk-hai host)

The two hobbits and half-elf were thrown to the ground with no care to them. The Mordor orcs were on their knees, gasping for breath. "We're not going no further…'til we've had a breather!" one of the orcs declared loudly while wheezing for his life.

"_Pathetic,"_ Uglúk thought to himself with a silent snarl. They would've been able to cover more ground if these orcs weren't slowing them down. But there was nothing he could do about it now. "Get a fire going!" he shouted.

Some of the Uruks went for the trees nearby. The orcs had virtually collapsed at the edge of a forest. But while they were chopping wood, Pippin was crawling over to his friend. "Merry! Merry!" he said as he crawled.

Merry looked at his friend with a slight shocked look, as if he realized all that had happened to them really did happen. "I think we might've made a mistake leaving the Shire, Pippin," he said quietly. He raised his head a little, trying to find something. "Where's Izuna?"

Pippin looked around too and found him. "There he is. They put him on the other side of the camp." The strange thing was that the half-elf was doing something with his hands, keeping them out of sight and moving them back and forth. When he saw the gaze of the hobbits, he raised a finger to his lips, telling them to be quiet.

As the Uruk-hai chopped off branches from the trees on the edge of the forest, there was a loud groan that came from deeper in the forest. While the Uruks and the orcs ignored it, the others did not. "What's making that noise?" Pippin asked Merry. Both of them had seen Izuna take a quick look at the forest before returning back to what he was doing, so they knew that he had heard it too.

Merry took a longer look at the forest and realized what the sound was. "It's the trees," he said in a whisper.

"What?" Pippin asked.

"You remember the Old Forest, on the borders of Buckland? Folk used to say there was something in the water that made the tree grow tall…and come alive."

"Alive?" he repeated.

"Trees that could whisper…talk to each other…even move," Merry told him. That was a chilling thought for the both of them. If trees could walk and talk, what would happen if they found out about what the Uruks were doing?

The Uruks in question didn't particularly care about what the forest might think. They were more focused on something else: their stomachs. "I'm starving," one Uruk declared. "We ain't had nothing but maggoty beard for three stinking days!" He held up a piece of said beard to show his point before throwing it to the ground.

"Yeah!" agreed a Mordor orc. "Why can't we have some meat?" He looked around the camp and spotted the two hobbits, who noticed his gaze. "What about them? They're fresh."

Uglúk heard those words and took a threatening step towards the orc. "They are not for eating!" he said warningly. The orc didn't say anything, he just continued to stare.

Without any warning, Merry and Pippin were dragged up onto their feet by an orc and were forced to stand before the rest of the creatures there. "What about their legs?" Grishnákh asked as he looked at them. "They don't need those." Merry looked at his legs and then back at him with an expression of surprise and horror. "Ooh, they looked tasty."

He reached out for them and Uglúk went to push him back. But to the surprise of everyone there, Izuna suddenly appeared and slammed into the orc. "Keep away from them!" he shouted as they fell to the ground. His hands were still bound, but that didn't mean he couldn't keep the orc down. But before he could do anything, he was pulled off of the orc and shoved away. He got right back up on his feet and looked defiantly at the Uruks and orcs there. "The next one who tries to come for them will get skewered!" he threatened them.

That made them all laugh; for they could see that his hands were still bound together. "Shut up, maggot," Uglúk snarled at him before turning to look at Grishnákh. "The prisoners go to Saruman, alive and unspoiled."

"Alive?" repeated the orc, looking past him to see the hobbits. "Why alive? Do they give good sport?" Guttural sounds came from his mouth and tongue as he spoke those words.

"They have something, an Elvish weapon. The master wants it for the war."

Both the hobbits realized what he was talking about, even if he was making it sound like something else completely. "They think we have the Ring," Pippin whispered to Merry.

"Ssh!" Merry whispered back. "As soon as they find out we don't, we're dead."

"And what about him?" he asked, looking at the half-elf amongst them. "Why does Saruman want him?"

"He has something the master wants as well."

"What would that be?"

"That's none of your business, scum," Uglúk growled at him.

"I'd say it is, and I also say he's come with us!" He made a grab for the half-elf, only to get pushed away by the Uruk-hai.

The two different kinds of orcs stood on their own sides, snarling and growling at the other. "You reach out again and I'll cut your arm off," Uglúk warned Grishnákh. "I already told you: the prisoners go to Saruman, alive and unspoiled."

"And you think you'll bring them to him?" the Mordor orc challenged.

"I do and I don't care if I have to kill a few miserable orcs to do it."

As the proverbial chest-thumping continued, the hobbits and the half-elf just watched in silence. But since they were watching what was in front of them, they were not looking at what was behind them. And what was sneaking up behind them was the Mordor orc who first wondered about eating the hobbits. He was sneaking up to them, keeping low so that the Uruks would not see him.

But once he got in close, he stood up and raised his sword up as well. "Just a mouthful, a bit off the flank," he said aloud as he looked down at the hobbits. His mouth was already watering at the prospect of fresh meat.

He didn't get the fresh meat. What he got instead was the sudden feeling of a weapon going through his head like it was nothing. Everyone else just looked on in shock as Izuna's bindings seemingly fell away, Aeglos appeared out of nowhere into his hands, and he plunged its tip into the orc's head.

He pulled the glaive out and swung it around in the air, making all the Uruks and orc close to him and the hobbits back away. "Step back, all of you!" he shouted at them, keeping the glaive at the ready. "I will kill anyone who gets close!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing, maggot!?" Uglúk demanded, looking very angry. "How are your hands not bound?"

All the half-elf did was slightly release the grip he had on the glaive. It was enough to let what was in his hand fall to the ground. It was a small knife, made in the crude fashion of orcs. "You should be careful about who you punch."

The leader of the Uruk-hai snarled, but did nothing. Grishnákh, on the other hand, did. "Kill him!" he ordered. One of the orcs moved to do as he was commanded, but was swiftly beheaded by Uglúk.

"Keep back, scum!" the leader of the Uruk-hai snarled at the orcs. The rest of the Uruks joined their leader at snarling at who they thought were inferior creatures.

"You think you can order me around?" Grishnákh demanded, outraged at the mere thought. He looked at the rest of the orcs there. "Gut them!"

"Looks like meat's back on the menu, boys!" Uglúk shouted, making the rest of the Uruk-hai roar in approval. The two kinds of orc charged at each other with weapons drawn. The prisoners were pushed aside to make way for bloodlust.

Izuna was surprised to see it turn out like this. He had honestly thought that he and the hobbits were going to have to fight their way out of this problem. But his sensei had taught him to take advantage of any and all opportunities that would be beneficial and he would do just that. "Merry, Pippin," he said quietly to the hobbits, getting their attention. "Let's go."

They both nodded and the three of them began to crawl away from the fight. They didn't look back, but they could hear the scream of orcs and Uruks killing and being killed. There was also the sound of meat being ripped off and eaten loudly, which sickened them more than they cared to think about. But they didn't stop, they had to get away.

They were about halfway to the forest when someone noticed them. "The prisoners are running!" an Uruk shouted. That got the attention of some Uruks and orcs, most were content on killing one another.

Those who did notice, however, began making their way towards them. "Get up and hold out your arms!" Izuna told the hobbits, scrambling up onto his feet. The hobbits did the same and held out their hands like they were told. He quickly cut through their bindings, freeing their hands. "Run! I'll hold them off."

He turned around and engaged the Uruks and orcs while Merry and Pippin ran into the forest. The enemies he was fighting off tried to get past him, but he wouldn't let that happen, killing the first few who tried. The rest of them settled for trying to kill him before going after the hobbits.

The only thing he could do was pray to Eru that the rest of the host would be too busy killing each other that they would realize what was happening. The few that he was fighting had his attention and he was making sure that they would not stop the hobbits from fleeing. The only problem was how he was going to get out.

Grishnákh, who had joined the attack on him, thought differently. "I'm going to enjoy ripping your ears off, elf!" he spat at Izuna.

The half-elf didn't have time to reply, because what came next was a surprise for all of them. A javelin buried itself in an orc's back, making it screamed in pain. That made all the orcs and Uruks look at where the javelin had been thrown.

A virtual flood of horsemen came charging out of the night. The Uruks of Isengard and the orcs of Mordor, who had been butchering each other just a few seconds ago, leapt to attack but it was too late for them. The camp that they had made became a slaughter.

Izuna saw his opportunity to flee and took it. He kicked Grishnákh away and sliced his arm, trying to cut it off but only making it bleed. Not wanting to stay around, he turned and ran for the forest edge.

"Wait!" he heard someone call out to him, but he was not going to wait. He needed to stay with Merry and Pippin. Within five seconds, he had disappeared into the forest. But he had a chaser coming after him.

(Location: the Hunters)

They had been running through the night. But the light of the sun broke over the horizon; Legolas looked back at the light. "A red sun rises," he said to the others. "Blood has been spilled this night "

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

That conversation Sasuke had with Indra will come back around; it's not a once-off.

It's not that hard to see different kinds of orcs hate each other in this universe. That was probably why the menu line was used.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	12. Horrible news

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 12: Horrible news

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Hunters)

Even as the sun rose up from the horizon and into the sky itself, they kept running after the Uruk-hai host. Aragorn would kneel down every so often to check the tracks before getting back and leading the path. "How far behind are we?" Boromir asked him after he stood back up for a fifth time.

"I would say a half a day," he answered. "With any luck, we will find them soon."

"Then we must go on." His failure at Amon Hen filled him with guilt and drove him onward, but Legolas's prediction that dawn filled him with dread and made him run faster.

He wasn't alone in regards to the elf's prediction. They had all been running faster since then. Aragorn did not say a word in response to what the Captain-General had said. All he did was nod in agreement and started running.

"How are you doing, Gimli?" Sasuke asked, looking back at the dwarf, who was still in the back of the group.

"I am perfectly fine, lad," he replied, keeping his stubborn pace. "But if you ask me that question again, I will hack your arms off!"

"You said that the last five times I asked how you were doing."

"And if you were standing beside me when you had asked, I would have done it!"

He smiled so slightly, people who didn't know him would not have been able to see it. "Good to know," he told the dwarf. "Keep up." Just to give him a little more incentive, he increased his speed.

"Get back here, lad!" the son of Glóin shouted at his back, increasing his pace.

"Must you antagonize him, Crabandir?" Legolas asked him with a slightly pained expression on his face.

"It keeps him going," he answered shortly.

"Yes, but I am worried that he will collapse of exhaustion." The dwarf had looked like that for some time now.

"He won't."

"How do you know that?"

He looked at him. "And here I thought an Elf would know about how stubborn a Dwarf could be." Legolas had nothing to say back to that.

"Will you get back here already?" Gimli shouted up at the raven-haired shinobi.

"I was never there to being with," he shouted back.

"Just you wait, lad! I'll make you regret those words!"

For another hour they kept running. They stood on a low, practically tiny, ridge when Aragorn knelt down to check the tracks of the Uruk-hai. But as he examined what was in front of him, they all heard a faint whinny in the air. They all looked at the direction the whinny came from but they could see nothing but the land. "That's not orcs," Sasuke said.

"No, it is not," Aragorn told him. "It is an Éored of Rohirrim. They are coming this way." Already they could hear the thunder of hooves on the earth.

"We should get out of the way," Boromir said to all of them. "The Rohirrim would not hesitate to run unannounced strangers down."

They all silently agreed to the idea and quickly hid themselves behind a cluster of rocks. Gimli had just been able to join them as the riders appeared over the ridge. As he watched them thundered past, Sasuke could see how well-coordinated the horsemen were. Their armor and weapons may have varied somewhat, but the way they rode their horses showed that they have trained as a group and trained well. They moved as a unit.

When they passed down the ridge and out of the way of being run down, Aragorn came out of the cluster and looked down the ridge. "Riders of Rohan!" he shouted down at the horsemen. "What news from the Mark?"

"_Is he crazy?"_ Sasuke asked silently. They were trying to avoid getting run down and now the Ranger was calling out to them. Thar was something Naruto would do!

Well, there was no way they could try to fix it now. The rider in the front lifted the spear in his right hand and the entire company of horsemen essentially did a U-turn. As the rest of the hunters came out of hiding, the Rohirrim rode back up the ridge and began to encircle them.

They did not go straight to it. Instead, they did in a circling motion, putting layer on layer of horseflesh between them and any path to freedom they might've wanted to take. Their sight was also impaired by the horses still moving into place, always in a circling motion.

Once all the horsemen had entrapped the Hunters in a circle, they lowered their spears at them. Aragorn raised his hands to show that he was holding no weapon. "Peace, we mean peace," he told them.

One horseman rode through the ranks so he could see them. "What business does an Elf, a Dwarf, and three Men have in the Riddermark?" he demanded. "Speak quickly!" It was obvious that this man was the leader of the company. One could tell by his armor, his weapons, and the fact that he spoke first.

"Give me your name, horse-master, and I shall give you mine," Gimli said in reply, looking at him. The dwarf was ready for what would come next, only stopping himself when Aragorn placed a gentle but restraining hand on his shoulder.

That proved to be the wrong thing to say. The leader of the horsemen held his spear to be taken and it was. Once his hands were free, he dismounted and walked towards the Hunters. "I would cut off your head, Dwarf, if it stood but a little higher from the ground," he said to Gimli.

Legolas took that to be a threat against his fellow Hunter and friend. In an instant, he had an arrow nocked and drawn. "You hold die before your stroke fell!" he told the leader, pointing the arrow at him. In response to the threat, the horsemen raised their spears, ready to throw them with deadly effect.

But before a spear could be thrown or the arrow released, they all heard the sound of a blade being drawn quickly. In the next instant, the tip of the arrow fell to the ground. "Legolas, that's one arrow against a hundred or more spears," Sasuke said as he sheathed his katana. "Do the math."

The elf prince still held the bowstring taunt until Aragorn placed his hand on his arm and gently pushed it down until it was no longer pointed at the leader of the horsemen. Once that was done, he turned the leader himself. "I'm Aragorn, son of Arathorn," he introduced himself. "This is Gimli, son Glóin." He looked at the dwarf. "Legolas of the Woodland Realm," he said as he gestured to the elf. "This man is—"

"Lord Boromir of the White City," the leader of the Rohirrim interrupted him, taking his helmet off and bowing his head to the Captain-General. "Forgive me, my lord, for not recognizing you sooner." When they heard their leader speak that way to the man from Gondor, the horsemen surrounding them lifted their spears.

"Third Marshall Éomer," Boromir replied with surprise in his voice before he bowed his head too. "It is I who must ask for forgiveness. It has been some time since we had seen one another."

"There is no need to ask for forgiveness, my lord. You are still a friend of Rohan." The man now known as Éomer turned his attention to the last person standing in the middle of his Éored. "You, you are the one they call the Bell Man," he said with narrowed eyes.

"That's one name people have called me," Sasuke said indifferently.

"I do not see your bells or your hat."

"They got destroyed and I left them behind."

"Lord Éomer, you know this man?" Boromir asked the Third Marshall.

"I know of him," he answered. "I heard stories of how he hunts orcs who steal children and brings those children back to their homes. And I was there when he brought a group of such children to Edoras." A frown then marred his face. "But I also remember how much he spoke to Wormtongue, which makes me wonder if you are not in league with him." The horsemen heard the threat in their Marshall's voice and raised their spears once more to strike down the enemy. It was because of Gríma Wormtongue that they were here.

But Sasuke did not show fear at the sight of the spears. "My speaking to the man was how the children were doing back in their homes with their families. Once he had told me that all was well, I had asked for a book of the history of Rohan, which he provided. That was all we spoke to one another."

"This is Sasuke, son of Fugaku, of the Uchiha clan," Aragorn introduced him to the Third Marshall, stumbling slightly over the foreign words.

Éomer looked at the Ranger and then at the Bell Man. "Those names sound strange to my ears and my tongue."

"No stranger than yours are to mine," Sasuke replied with ease. "But we mean no harm to you or to your country."

"Yes," Boromir agreed. "We five are friends of Rohan and of Théoden King."

A brief look of sorrow passed over the Third Marshall's face before it disappeared. "Théoden no longer recognizes friend from foe," he told them.

"What has happened?"

"Saruman has poisoned the mind of the king and claimed lordship over these lands. My company are those loyal to Rohan. And for that, we are banished." He narrowed his eyes. "The White Wizard is cunning. He walks here and there, they say, as an old man, hooded and cloaked. And everywhere, his spies slip past out nets."

"Lord Éomer, you would think me to be a spy?" Boromir asked. He was shocked to hear such a thing from one he considered to be his friend.

"My apologies, Lord Boromir, but while I do know you, I do not know them." He looked at the other four people there, his eyes focusing on the strangely named one. "Especially him, despite what stories I may have heard."

"We aren't spies," Sasuke told him.

"Indeed, we are not," Aragorn agreed. "We track a host of Uruk-hai westward across the plain. They have taken three of our friends captive."

"The Uruks are destroyed," Éomer told him. "We slaughtered them during the night."

The five hunters shared a look at those words. "But there were two hobbits and an elf. Did you two hobbits and an elf with them?" Gimli asked him.

"The hobbits would've been small, Éomer," Boromir said to his friend. "They would've looked like only children to eyes such as ours."

"Lord Éomer," one of the Éored spoke. "May I speak?"

"You may," the Third Marshall answered.

"I do not know about any hobbits, but in the midst of the battle, I did see a figure fighting off a few Uruks. I called out to him, but he turned to flee from the battle."

"Which way did he go?" Sasuke asked him, staring intently at him.

"I don't know, the battle was chaotic and dark. Once he fled, I did not focus on him." His face took on an apologetic expression. "I am sorry for not telling you more."

"What about the Uruks?" Aragorn asked.

"We left none alive. We piled the carcasses and burned them," Éomer told him, pointing at the large cloud of smoke that rose up in the distance.

The Hunters could only look at the rising cloud. "They're all dead?" asked Gimli.

He nodded. "I am sorry." They said nothing in reply, so he turned and whistled sharply. "Hasufel, Arod!" he called out. Two horses came through the circle and to his hand, which stoke their necks gently but briefly.

"May these horses bear you to better fortune then their former masters," he said to them, letting them take the reins of the horses. "Farewell." He turned back to his horse, putting his helmet back on his head.

Aragorn and Legolas, the ones holding the reins, were silent as they looked at the horses. They heard a horse moving forward and saw the Third Marshall moving forward. "Look for your friends," he told them all, spear in hand again. "But do not trust to hope."

"What else can we do, Éomer?" Boromir asked him.

"I don't know, Boromir. But hope as forsaken these lands." He looked at his Éored. "We ride north!" he told them in a loud voice.

He moved forward and the circle of Rohirrim broke apart, following their leader as he rode away. Within seconds, they rode after him, leaving the Hunters standing there with the horse given to them. And soon, they were alone.

"We must make haste," Aragorn said, climbing onto one of the horse's saddle and helping Boromir up behind him. Legolas did the same on the other horse and although he grumbled a little about what was happening, Gimli got on behind him.

"We will not leave you behind, Crabandir," the elf told Sasuke. "We will keep the pace of the horses at a modest pace."

"Don't bother," Sasuke told him. "I'll be able to keep up." The horses rode off toward the smoke and he followed them. True to his words, he was able to keep up with them. The others would've been surprised by this, if they were not so focused on riding towards the smoke.

(Location: Izuna)

"Merry! Pippin!" he called out as he ran through the forest. He had run nonstop during the night through the forest, trying to find the hobbits. But as the day dawned, he had no luck finding them. But what also made him nervous was the feeling that he was not alone in this forest. He had no idea where he was and that made him all the more worrisome.

"_Don't think about that, Izuna,"_ he told himself. _"You have to find the hobbits. Keep moving!"_ And he did just that. He kept moving.

All he heard as he walked through the forest was his own footsteps echoing all around him. It was unnerving and it added to the feeling that he wasn't alone. But he chose not to think about it. He would not let it fill his mind with fear and uncertainty.

But it did feel like there was something else out there in the forest, watching and waiting. For what, he did not know and he did not want to know. But as he kept running through the forest, it felt like that something was watching him specifically. He thought he felt eyes on him as he ran.

Something flickered in the corner of his eyes, making him stop short. When he turned to look at what it was, he saw nothing. But he could've sworn he saw a piece of armor that was red. _"What was that?"_ he asked himself. "Who's there?" he called out, pointing Aeglos in the direction of the flicker. He received no answer.

But then, the ground felt like it was shaking somewhat, which hadn't happened before. _"What's happening?"_ Izuna wondered as the shaking continued. He didn't know what it was exactly, but he could figure out that it was getting closer to him. When he almost fell to the ground, he realized that it whatever it was, it was almost upon him. He flung himself behind a tree and waited.

He did not wait long. Soon, a walking tree appeared from the forest. _"Wait, that's not a tree,"_ he thought as he watched on, remembering what the Lady Galadriel and Lord Celeborn had taught him when he could be taught. _"That's an Ent!"_ To his further surprise, he saw that the Ent was holding Merry and Pippin in its hands.

"**Treebeard, some call me,"** the Ent said, speaking to the hobbits in his grip as it walked on. Izuna tried to stay close but out of sight so he could try and stage a rescue.

"And whose side are you on?" asked a clearly nervous Pippin.

"_That's it, Pippin,"_ Izuna thought to himself as he kept close. _"Keep him distracted."_

"**Side?"** repeated Treebeard. **"I am on nobody's side, because nobody's on my side, little Orc. No one cares for the woods anymore!"**

"We're not Orcs!" Merry told the Ent. "We're Hobbits!

"**Hobbits?"** he repeated. **"Never heard of a hobbit before. Sounds like Orc mischief to me!"** He began to get angry and squeezed the two hobbits tighter. **"They come with fire. They come with axes. Gnawing, biting, breaking, hacking, burning! Destroyers and usurpers! Curse them!"**

As he squeezed them tighter, Izuna began to plan to get them free. "No! You don't understand! We're Hobbits! Halflings! Shire-folk!" Merry tried to explain.

"**Maybe you are, and maybe you're not. The White Wizard will know,"** the Ent declared.

When he heard those words, Izuna went still, suddenly afraid. There was only one White Wizard he knew of. That meant that the Ent was in league with Saruman! _"I have to get Merry and Pippin out of there!"_ he thought, gripping Aeglos tightly.

He was surprised to see the Ent drop the hobbits, but he would take it. He burst out from his hiding spot and stood in front of Merry and Pippin. "Keep away!" he shouted at the Ent, waving his glaive to emphasize his point.

"Izuna!" said Pippin, glad to see him alive.

"Not now, Pippin," he told the hobbit. Feeling the light on his back, he whirled around. "You stay back, Saruman!" he warned the Wizard standing before them. But while the half-elf had his weapon at the ready and the hobbit's looked on in shock, he only smiled.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

I didn't do the burning corpses scene because we all know it. Plus, I don't really know how to write how Aragorn tracked differently than before.

Yeah, Izuna actually thinks it's Saruman. He wasn't there when Gandalf fell and fought the Balrog. As for that brief glimpse he saw, I'll leave that up to you guys to figure out.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	13. The shocking discovery

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 13: The shocking discovery

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: the Hunters)

They walked through the forest, hesitation and uncertainty following in their footsteps. When they head reached the pile of burnt Uruk-hai corpses, both Sasuke and Aragorn had found tracks of Izuna and the hobbits respectively. They followed the tracks away from the slaughter that had happened, only to stop before the forest that the tracks had led into. It was no ordinary forest that the half-elf and two hobbits had vanished into, it was Fangorn forest and when Aragorn had said its name aloud, Gimli had summed the feelings they felt by saying, "Fangorn? What madness drove them in there?"

But despite their hesitation, they still went into the forest to find their friends. They had found the tracks left by Merry and Pippin, finding no trace of Izuna. Having no other choice, they followed the tracks left by the hobbits. Those tracks led them deeper and deeper into the forest but they still followed them, more so when Aragorn saw that there were another set of tracks that followed the hobbits.

Aragorn knew what kind of tracks they were and kept silent about it. But it was soon became obvious to them all when Gimli noticed dark spots on leaves, reach out to touch one of them and bring it to his mouth to taste, only to spit it out. "Orc blood!" he declared.

"They were being followed," Boromir said, looking more worried than before. "We must hurry!"

"If we do that, we risk ruining the tracks and losing them," Sasuke told him.

Aragorn followed the tracks before him, only to see them disappear from the ground. What replaced them were tracks made by something heavy and gnarled, but he did not know what it was. "These are strange tracks," he said aloud.

Sasuke saw the same thing. "The first one is oddly shaped, more so then the others," he said, looking down at the first track.

Aragorn saw it as well. Once he took a closer look, he could tell what it was. "Something was crushed beneath whoever stepped here."

"If that's the case, where's the body?" That was a disturbing question and rightfully so. Even if something had been crushed (and they were all hoping it was that it had been the orc), there would still be a body lying there. But there was none.

As he followed the others, Boromir suddenly felt his strength leave his legs. He would have fallen to the ground had he not grab hold of a tree trunk. But a gasp of breath escaped his lips when he did, making the others look back at him. "Are you alright, Boromir?" Gimli asked him.

"I am fine," he replied, his head bowed. "I am just a little tired." When he raised his head, he saw something across a brook. "Are those tracks?"

Both the Ranger and the shinobi looked at the direction he was looking at. Sasuke leapt over the brook, landing on the other side, and looked at the tracks there. "Izuna was here," he announced after looking at them. "He came from a different direction and then moved parallel with the strange tracks."

"He must've seen what was happening and followed to see what would happen," Aragorn said.

"Or to try and stage a rescue."

"We must keep searching." He followed the strange tracks while Sasuke followed the tracks of his student, trying to stay in sight of the others.

Boromir managed to regain his strength and followed after the others. As they followed the tracks, they could feel the forest all around them. "The air is so close in here," Gimli stated.

Legolas stopped where he was walking and looked around. "This forest is old. Very old," he said to the others. "Full of memory…and anger." A deep groan emerged from the surrounding trees, making the dwarf amongst them raise his axe.

Sasuke heard the same groan. But it also seemed like that it was directed at him. _**"Who are you to step in this forest?"**_ it seemed to say inside his head. _**"Traitor, oathbreaker, coward, we see you as we've seen you before. Tread lightly, we will watch you."**_

"The trees are speaking to each other!" Legolas said to the others.

"Gimli!" said Aragorn to the dwarf, who still had his weapon ready. "Lower your axe."

He did as he was told, even though he was uncomfortable to do such a thing. "They have feelings, my friend," the elf told him. "The Elves began it, waking up the trees, teaching them to speak."

"Talking trees," Gimli repeated. "What do trees have to talk about, except the consistency of squirrel droppings?"

"What would talking rocks have to talk about, except the amount of creatures tunneling?" Boromir asked him with a small smile. The dwarf didn't say anything in response, he just grunted.

They continued forward, spanning out to cover a little more ground. As he walked, Legolas came to a still and looked out at the forest. "Aragorn, nad no ennas (Aragorn, something's out there)," he told the Ranger, speaking in Elvish, walking away from the others.

The Ranger followed him and stopped when he did. "Man cenich (what do you see)?" he asked quietly. Both Gimli and Boromir came closer as they stood there.

"The White Wizard approaches," Legolas told him. The elf looked over his shoulder. The others got the silent hint and went still.

Aragorn barely turned his head to look at the direction pointed out to them. He saw someone coming towards them and he also saw Sasuke waiting behind a tree. "Do not let him speak, he will put a spell on us," he told the rest of them. He placed his hand on his sword and drew it out a few inches. Boromir did the same while Legolas quietly nocked an arrow and readied his hand and Gimli pulled a throwing axe in closer. "We must be quick."

With a deep breath, they all swerved around, ready to attack as white light flooded their eyes. Gimli, Legolas, and Sasuke (who had leapt out of his hiding spot when they turned) threw their respective axe, arrow, and kunai at the person standing in the column of light, but they were all swatted away like they were nothing. Sasuke wasn't done just then. He clasped his hands into a seal, but then couldn't move them. Aragorn and Boromir didn't do anything to attack because their swords turned hot and they were forced to drop them.

They were completely defenseless as they stared at the light surrounding the Wizard who stood before them. "You are tracking the footsteps of two young hobbits and a half-elf," he said to them.

"Where are they?" Aragorn demanded. The light was blinding him, forcing him to raise his hand to protect his eyes.

"They passed this way, quite recently in fact. They met someone they did not expect. Does that comfort you?'

"Who are you?" They could not see him and the voice sounded familiar but yet not. It was confusing and annoying. They did not know who it was standing before them. "Show yourself!" Aragorn commanded.

The light dimmed and the Wizard revealed himself. But it was not Saruman that was revealed nor was a new agent of Sauron. It was someone they all knew and someone they all thought dead. "It cannot be so!" Boromir exclaimed as he looked at the person before him.

But it was. Standing before them was Gandalf. He was dressed in white, his hair and beard were white, and the smooth elegant wooden staff that had replaced his old one was white as well. It was Gandalf but it was not Gandalf. Something about him had changed.

"Forgive me," Legolas said as he took a knee to the Wizard. "I mistook you for Saruman."

"I am Saruman. Or rather, Saruman as he should have been." the Wizard replied.

Sasuke, who had stayed silent throughout this (even when he could pull his hands apart from one other), finally stepped forward. "You. Fell," he said, pointing an accusing finger at the Wizard. The raven-haired man could still see that moment in Moria, perfectly. His hand was outstretched so the Wizard before him could take it and he fell into the abyss instead.

Gandalf did not protest those words. He only nodded grimly. "Through fire, and water," he agreed. "From the lowest dungeon to the highest peak, I fought with the Balrog of Morgoth. Until at last I threw down my enemy and smote his ruin upon the mountainside."

He fell silent for a moment and his gaze looked slightly past them. "Darkness took me, and I strayed out of thought and time. The stars wheeled overhead, and every day was as long as a life age of the Earth."

Again he fell silent for a moment and then spoke again. "But it was not the end. I felt life in me again." His gaze returned to the five of them. "I've been sent back, until my task is done."

Aragorn, who had not spoken since he demanded the Wizard to show himself, finally did. "Gandalf," he said, taking a step forward.

For a moment, the Wizard looked confused at the word. "Gandalf?" he repeated. His eyes wandered as he processed the information. "Yes…" His eyes turned back to the Ranger. "That was what they use to call me." Aragorn nodded in answer. "Gandalf the Grey," he said his name. "That was my name."

"Gandalf," said Gimli, happy to see him again.

He smiled at them all. "I am Gandalf the White. And I come to you now, at the turn of the tide." He walked past them. "Come now."

"Where are we going?" Boromir asked him as he passed.

"I will tell you if you follow, Boromir. So don't just stand there!" They quickly followed the White Wizard. At one moment, when he passed out of their eyesight and then reappeared a second later, he was wearing a cloak not unlike theirs. "One stage of your journey is over, another begins," he told them as he kept walking. "We must travel to Edoras with all speed."

"Edoras?" repeated Gimli, surprised to hear those words. "That is no short distance."

"We hear of trouble in Rohan," Aragorn told Gandalf, walking beside him. "It goes ill with the king."

"Yes, and it will not be easily cured," he agreed.

"I cannot begin to imagine what has happen to King Théoden," Boromir stated.

"Then we have run all this way for nothing?" Gimli asked from where he walked in the back of the group.

"Not all for nothing," Sasuke remarked. "You're certainly fitter than before."

"That is not what I am talking about, lad," he replied gruffly. "Are we to leave those poor hobbits and your student here in this horrid, dark, dank, tree-infested—" A loud groan emerged from the trees surrounding him as they heard him speak. It was a sleepy but angry groan and he got the point quickly. "I mean…charming, quite charming…forest," he quickly corrected himself.

"_Very nicely done,"_ Crabandir thought to himself.

Gandalf stopped and looked back at the dwarf. "It was more than mere chance that brought Merry, Pippin, and Izuna to Fangorn," he said. "A great power has been sleeping here for many long years. The coming of those three will be like the falling of small stones that starts an avalanche in the mountains."

"In one thing you have not changed, dear friend," Aragorn said, getting an interested sound from the Wizard when he leaned in. "You still speak in riddles."

He chuckled at those words. "What will happen?" Boromir asked, getting his attention.

"A thing is about to happen that has not happened since the Elder Days," he answered. "The Ents are going to wake up, and find they are strong."

"Strong?" repeated Gimli as he looked up at the trees. "Oh, that's good."

"So stop your fretting, Master Dwarf," the Wizard told him before turning around and started walking again. "Merry, Pippin, and Izuna are quite safe. In fact, they are far safer than you are about to be."

As they kept on walking, the dwarf grumbled to himself. "This new Gandalf's more grumpy then the old one."

"I heard that!" Gandalf shouted back at him. They kept walking through the forest, heading for the area the Hunters had come from. As they walked, the new White Wizard turned to look at the most silent member of the group. "Sasuke, would you step closer?"

The shinobi did as he was asked, coming closer to him. "What is it?"

"I thought you should about something that happened to me during my experience. I met a polite young man in a rare moment of peace in all that chaos. I believe he called himself Itachi."

While it got the attention of Aragorn, having heard that name before in Moria, a more visible impact showed itself in Sasuke. He had stopped in his tracks and his eyes, which were usually expressionless, had widened in surprise at that piece of news. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. When he opened them again, they were expressionless again, mostly. "What did he say?"

"He said that to keep an eye on his foolish otouto, even though he hoped that you've grown out of doing rash things."

"…I see." That was his brother's words alright. He was keeping an eye on him even from beyond the grave.

"What does that word mean?" Legolas asked him.

He knew which word the elf prince was talking about and didn't see any reason to deflect or ignore the question. "It means little brother," he answered.

For those who did not who Gandalf had been talking about earlier, they now understood. But still, they had to be sure. "You mean…" Gimli asked, leaving the question hanging in the air.

"Yes," he answered shortly.

They said nothing else for the rest of the walk out of the forest. But once they were out from under the darkness of the trees' shade and beneath the open sky, Gandalf walked a little further ahead than the others. He began to whistle. It was a strange whistle, long and echoing through the wind.

Even as it echoed into nothingness, a neigh that echoed back sounded off. From the plains, a horse rode towards them. _"It's a beautiful one,"_ Sasuke silently admitted as he watched it run towards them. Its coat was a magnificent white, like freshly fallen snow, as was its mane and tail. Its stride was graceful and at the same time, powerful. There was no saddle on its back.

He wasn't alone in his notice of the approaching horse. "That is one of the Mearas. Unless my eyes are cheated by some spell," Legolas declared as he held onto the reins of his horse and watching the oncoming horse at the same time.

"If your eyes have been bewitched, Legolas, then so are mine," Boromir told him.

If the horse had heard them, it did not give them notice. Instead, it went up to the new White Wizard. "Shadowfax," Gandalf greeted him. To the others, he told them, "He is the lord of all horses, and has been my friend through many dangers." As he spoke, he patted the neck of the horse.

They all quickly mounted their respective horses (with the one exception of Sasuke) and rode off to the south. It soon became obvious to those who knew what to look for that Shadowfax could've easily outpaced the other two horses but didn't so they could stay in sight of one another.

But he did not and they rode on through the lands of Rohan. They rode all through the day, only to stop when the sun had set and the night had come. They made a small fire that night in the camp but there was a greater fire in the darkness. Off to the east, there was an angry redness illuminating the dark clouds hanging over the mountain range in that direction. To those who knew what lay beyond the mountains, they knew that the illumination came from both Barad-dûr and Mount Doom.

Aragorn noticed that Gandalf was staring off into the east from where he sat in the camp. Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir were asleep while Sasuke sat with the katana in his lap. The Ranger stood up and walked up to the Wizard. The shinobi took noticed, but did nothing. He just stayed where he was.

"The veiling shadow that glowers in the east takes shape," Gandalf said to Aragorn. "Sauron will suffer no rival. From the summit of Barad-dûr, his Eye watches ceaselessly. But he is not so mighty yet that he is above fear. Doubt gnaws at him. The rumor has reached him." He looked at the man beside him. "The heir of Númenor still lives."

Aragorn said nothing and Gandalf continued. "Sauron fears you, Aragorn. He fears what you may become. And so he'll strike hard and fast at the world of Men. He will use his puppet Saruman to destroy Rohan. War is coming. Rohan must defend itself and therein lays our first challenge, for Rohan is weak and ready to fall. The king's mind is enslaved. It's an old trick of Saruman's. His hold over King Théoden is very strong. Sauron and Saruman are tightening the noose. But for all their cunning, we have one advantage."

He looked at the heir of Isildur and smiled. "The Ring remains hidden. And that we should seek to destroy it has not yet entered their darkest dreams." He looked back to the east. "And so the weapon of the Enemy is moving towards Mordor, in the hands of a hobbit. Each day brings it closer to the fires of Mount Doom. We must trust now in Frodo. Everything depends on speed and the secrecy of his quest."

Aragorn felt a little guilt at what he had done at Amon Hen when he heard those words. Both Gandalf and Sasuke could see it in the way he held himself, but the Wizard was the one who said something. "Do not regret your decision to leave him. Frodo must finish this task alone."

"He's not alone," the Ranger told him. "Sam went with him."

The White Wizard was surprised to hear that. "Did he? Did he, indeed?"

"He is a very loyal gardener," Sasuke said, standing up from where he sitting and walking over to them, katana in hand. "He will protect Frodo."

"Yes, he will," he agreed before looking at the shinobi with knowing eyes. "You are as knowledgeable and wise as your ancestor was."

He looked at the Wizard. "I thought you said that you had never met Indra."

"I hadn't, but I had met his father and his uncle. It was only during my experience that I remembered how I knew. Now, I can remember clearly. Would you like me to tell you the story?"

The shinobi only nodded and Gandalf began. "It was during the Second Age, when I had a different name, Saruman was no traitor, and the Island of Númenor had not been sunk beneath the waves. As I walked along the beach of Valinor with Ingwë, King of the Vanyar and High King of the Elves, and Saruman, we spotted a small ship sailing towards the land. Thinking that it had been a ship carrying Elves that had strayed off-course, we did nothing until it was closer. Only then did we realize that the ship was not of Elven-make.

"When it stopped on the waves, someone had climbed over its rail and jumped down to the water, landing on its surface, the three of us could see that the person was a Man. But he was dressed like no Man any in Valinor had seen before. His eyes were like ripples in water made by a single stone and there was a similar mark on his forehead, along with two small horns.

"Ingwë called out to him. 'Who are you, stranger, and where do you hail from?' The Man did not speak. He simply walked towards the shore, making Ingwë speak again. 'Do not come any closer, stranger. Do you not know what the Valar have declared? No mortal soul may touch their feet upon the Undying Lands.'

"But the Man did not stop or speak and when he came upon the shore, he stepped off of the water and onto the air itself. He continued to walk and the three of us could not help but follow him as he walked. As we followed, more and more of the Maiar and the Elves joined us, for they wondered too why there was a Man in Valinor and nothing had happened. In silence, we followed him, through day and night, until he came to the Holy Mountain.

"In silence, the Man began to climb the peak and we followed. Some of the Elves and Maiar soon stopped and went back, but those who truly wanted to know followed. In time, he reached the peak and entered the halls of the Elder King. He soon found himself standing before all the Valar.

"Only then did he let his feet touch the ground and in doing so, bowed his head to the floor, pressing his head against the stone. 'Honored great uncles and aunts,' he said. 'I beg your forgiveness and plead for your help.'

"The Elder King looked down upon him and asked, 'Who are you to call us that?'

"He answered, 'I am Hagoromo, son of Ōtsutsuki Kaguya.'

"'These names mean nothing to us.'

"'You know my mother as Bariel, adopted daughter of Morgoth. I have come to you, to risk my life and my soul, to plead for your help in stopping my mother. She has gone mad and has trapped my homeland in an endless dream. She is trapped, but soon she will break free and turn her attention to the rest of the lands. She can be stopped but not without help. So I ask for a sliver of a sliver of your power so that I may use it against her.'

"After silent consideration amongst them, the Valar granted his request. He thanked them and turned to leave. When he returned to the beach, another Man and another ship were there waiting for him on the water. In this Man was a sliver of a sliver of darkness. The Elder King could instantly tell that this was the darkness of his brother, Morgoth, and that the second Man must've been forced to carry it, for such was the way of darkness. In pity, he made it so that the second Man would only use the darkness to battle darkness.

"But when it was so, the second Man cried out in great pain. 'What have you done?' he asked the Elder King.

"'I have saved you from the path my brother had made you take,' he answered.

"'I chose to take that path of my own free will. You've saved me from nothing but my own choice.'

"Just then, the skies over Valinor darkened and Morgoth's voice reached out from beyond the Door of Night. 'So you would take what was freely sacrificed to me, brother? You would take my successor?' the voice said to the Elder King. 'This I will not abide, not while you may give and I cannot. When their task is done, the power that was given to them shall stay with them and shall pass on to their descendants. The wielder of my power shall suffer great anguish and torment and the wielder of your power will be able to do nothing for him.'

"The skies lightened and the voice faded. The two Men, who looked to be brothers, took to their ships and sailed away. The Maiar and the Vanyar never heard or saw to them again, until Indra arrived on the shores of Middle-Earth, bearing the mark the second Man had."

Sasuke looked down at his left hand. _"He must've died in the battle with the Jūbi,"_ he thought to himself, thinking of Hagoromo's brother. How else could Indra and by extension, him have gotten the mark? "Thanks," he told Gandalf before turning away. It was the only thing he said in reply to the story.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

If I've read the wiki and books right, no mortal soul could step on the Undying Lands. So if the Sage just walked on the air (and he could do that), technically he would be in the clear.

The Vanyar are the smallest and group of Elves that woke up, which is why their king is the high king.

If you didn't understand the story, let me break it down for you. Hagoromo and Hamura (his brother) had heard stories of Valinor from their mother when she wasn't crazy. When she finally does turn into the Jūbi, the brothers realize that they are outmatched in terms of power and decide to go to the Valar for help. However, since the Jūbi is neither good or evil, it just _is_, they need to get help from both light and darkness.

So while Hagoromo goes to Valinor, Hamura goes to the Door of Night and asks his grandfather for a silver of a silver of his power. Morgoth does give it to him, on the condition that when it is all said and done, he becomes the next Dark Lord (somehow, I don't think Sauron got Morgoth's stamp of approval). The Elder King, whose name is Manwë, decided to unintentionally corrupt that and so Morgoth got back at him for that. If you still don't get that, oh well.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	14. Breaking the hold

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 14: Breaking the hold

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Fangorn)

Merry felt comfortable and peaceful as he lay on the forest floor, slowly waking up. After meeting Gandalf again (and after hastily convincing Izuna that he wasn't Saruman), the Wizard had asked Treebeard to keep them safe The Ent did as he was asked and led them to one of his homes in the forest. They had fallen asleep in the process, so he just laid them on the ground to sleep.

Now the Brandybuck was the last to awake. As he did, he looked around his surroundings. Pippin was sitting next to a little stream and Izuna was sitting against a tree. "Hello?" Merry called out as he stood up.

"We're right here, Merry," Izuna told him.

"I wasn't talking about you, Izuna," he replied. "I was looking for Treebeard. Where'd he go off to?"

"I don't know. He was gone when I woke up."

"And I had the loveliest dream last night," Pippin said, joining the conversation. He had a bowl in his hand and he was careful not to drop it as he spoke.

"Pippin, what does your dream have to do with the absence of Treebeard?" the half-elf amongst them asked him.

"It doesn't."

"Then why are you bringing it up?"

"Well, it doesn't help us to know where Treebeard is. He will come back when he comes back. So there's no point in continuing that line of conversation, right?"

"…Right," he conceded.

"Then can I continue?"

He sighed. "Go ahead."

The hobbit smiled. "There was this large barrel, full of pipe-weed. And we smoked all of it."

Merry smiled at that. "That sounds like a nice dream."

"And then…the two of you were sick."

Izuna frowned a little. "That, not so much," he commented.

The Took didn't sound like he heard him. Instead, he just leaned back on the root he was sitting on. "I'd give anything for a whiff of Old Toby," he declared, closing his eyes.

The scowl on Merry's face faded away at those words. "I would too," he admitted.

Izuna looked at the both of them. "Was that what I had in Lothlórien?" he asked the two of them.

The Brandybuck amongst them shook his head. "No, that was a lesser brand, something that's best used in small quantities on the road. Old Toby and anything better is best taken when sitting back and relaxing."

"Like what I'm doing right now," Pippin chimed in from where he sat.

"Oh," the half-elf said. He fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to say next, and then just said what came to his mind. "I thought the one in Lothlórien was nice."

Both of the hobbits looked at each other and simultaneously rolled their eyes. "The words of a novice pipe-weed smoker," Merry said in a long-suffering voice. A loud groan echoed throughout the forest, getting his attention. "Did you hear that?" he asked. The groan came again, louder this time. "There is it again."

"I heard it," Izuna told him.

"Something's not right here. Not right at all."

Pippin didn't think anything off of it. He grabbed an urn that was near him and stood up with it and his bowl in hand. He burped but it didn't sound like a burp. It sounded like something else and Merry figured it out on the spot. "You said something…Treeish," he said to his friend.

"No, I didn't," Pippin protested. "I was just stretching." He stretched to prove his point and a weird noise came from him as he did.

When he was done, Merry noticed something about his friend. He walked around him, taking a closer look at him and making sure he was seeing right. "You're taller!" he finally said.

The Took stopped taking the sip he was sipping to look at the Brandybuck. "Who?"

"You!"

"Then what?"

"Then me!"

There was a brief look of confusion on his face when he heard that. "I've always been taller than you."

Merry placed his hands on his hips. "Pippin, everyone knows that I'm the tall one. You're the short one."

"_Who is everyone?"_ Izuna thought to himself. He didn't know that. Before he could even continue with that line of thought, he saw a flash of something beyond the current edge of trees. _"What was that?"_ He stood up. "You two stay here; I'm going to take a look around."

"Okay then," Pippin said to him before turning to look at his fellow hobbit. "Now please, Merry. You're what? Three-foot-six? At the most?" Merry looked a little proud at the height. "Whereas me, I'm pushing 3'7"." He said something odd again and grew just a little bit more. "3'8"!"

"Three-foot-eight?" repeated Merry, unbelieving at the fact when it was right there in front of him.

That was the last Izuna heard of that conversation and quite frankly, he was a little glad to have stopped listening. He found it to be hearing two hobbits arguing about their height, especially when they were adults.

He was more than happy to go looking for whatever had been on the edge of his sight. His curiosity was aroused. He went deeper into the woods to see what it was, but saw nothing. _"Where is it?"_ he asked as he looked, going further and further away from Treebeard's home.

He saw it again and turned his towards the direction it appeared. He would've gone after it had the screams of hobbits filled his ears. He quickly spun around and went for the home of the Ent. What he saw was not something he wanted to see. Both Merry and Pippin were being buried beneath the roots of a tree.

He almost panicked right then and there. "Merry! Pippin!" he shouted at them, sprinting for the tree, intent on saving his friends. But he was only able to reach it just in time to see them get completely buried. _"What should I do? What should I do?"_ he asked himself in a fearful state. He tried reaching down through the cracks left by the roots to grasp either one of the hobbits but he could not reach them.

"Treebeard! Anyone! HELP!" he shouted for the entirety of Fangorn to hear as he tried in vain to free the hobbits.

Fortunately for him, Treebeard had heard him and came back. **"Away with you,"** the Ent commanded the tree. **"You should not be waking. Eat earth. Dig deep. Drink water."** As he spoke, the roots of the tree began to move around, making Izuna hop off of them. It also freed the hobbits, who quickly scrambled free. **"Go to sleep. Away with you."**

As they watched the tree settle, Izuna turned on Merry and Pippin. "What was that all about?!" he demanded.

"**I'm afraid there is no time for questions, young half-elf,"** Treebeard said to him. **"The forest is waking up."** He reached down for the two hobbits, picked them up and placed them on his shoulders. **"Come, it isn't safe."**

He walked off and Izuna followed in his path as they left his home. **"The trees have grown wild and dangerous,"** he explained to them as he walked. **"Anger festers in their hearts. Black are their thoughts. Strong is their hate. They will harm you if they can."**

"But I had thought that the Ents would keep them in check," Izuna said to the Ent.

"**Once, we may have. But there are too few of us now. Too few Ents left to manage them."**

"Why are there so few of you when you have lived so long?" Pippin asked him. "Are there Ent children?"

"**Bru-ra-hroom, there have been no Entings for a terrible long count of years,"** he answered sorrowfully.

"Why is that?" Merry asked.

"**We lost the Entwives."**

"Oh, I'm sorry," Pippin said to him. He meant it. "How did they die?"

"Pippin!" said Izuna warningly. "You don't ask that!"

"**Die?"** Treebeard repeated, like he was trying to understand what that word meant. **"No. We lost them. And now, we cannot find them. I don't suppose that you've seen Entwives in the Shire?"** he asked the two hobbits, looking at Pippin as he asked.

The two of them shared a quick look with one another. "Can't say that I have?" Merry told him. "You, Pip?"

Pippin had the same answer as his friend but he didn't want to give it to Treebeard again. "What do they look like?" he asked. Maybe if they had some details, it might spark something in their memories.

A look of sorrow appeared on the Ent's face before he turned it away. **"I don't remember now."**

As he walked alongside the Ent, Izuna thought of something. "Do you think it's possible that they may have gone to a different land?" he asked Treebeard, looking at him.

"**Hroom, it is a thought. But we Ents have looked everywhere in Middle-Earth after losing the Entwives and we have not found them anywhere."**

"What if they went to a land you couldn't reach? If they went to a different continent?" he pressed on.

The Ent looked down at him with a curious look in his eyes. **"Do you know where the Entwives are?"**

He shook his head. "No, I don't. Until recently, I've never been out of Lothlórien. But my sensei comes from Southern-Earth."

"**Southern-Earth?"** the Ent repeated. **"I have never heard of such a land before. And what does this word, this 'sensei' mean?"**

"He told me it meant teacher. I am his student and he is my teacher. But since you've never heard of Southern-Earth before, it might be possible that the Entwives went there." He wasn't trying to get the Ent's hopes up. He was just raising a possibility. For all he knew, Sasuke-sensei had never seen one of the Entwives down there.

(Location: Sasuke's party)

As the horses came to a stop, so did he. They had been traveling since dawn and now it was well past noon when they crested a hill to see a city on a far greater hill before them. The shinobi amongst them was silent as he looked at the walled city. To no surprise, he had found that nothing had changed.

"Edoras, and the Golden Hall of Meduseld," Gandalf said for all of them to hear. "There dwells Théoden, King of Rohan, whose mind is overthrown. Saruman's hold over King Théoden is now very strong."

"But you are here, Gandalf," Boromir said to him.

"That may be. But still, be careful of what you say. Do not look for welcome here," he warned them. He urged Shadowfax on and the others followed. It did not take them long to reach the gate of Edoras. As they rode through, Aragorn saw something disturbing: one of the king's banners rolling in the grass outside the city.

Sasuke saw the same thing he did and did something about it. He went after the banner and picked it up, folding it until he could hold it easily in one hand. With the other, he pulled the hood of his cloak up over his head, hiding his face from the world.

The pace of the horses slowed considerably once they were in the city proper. As they made their way up the slope of the hill, they looked around at the people of Edoras. Those people were quiet and grim, looking at the strangers with uncertainty in their eyes. As Gimli eloquently put it, "You'd find more cheer in a graveyard."

"Indeed, this is a sad sight," Boromir agreed quietly. Never would he have thought to see the people of Rohan look like this.

They continued to climb the hill. A child appeared in the door of a house to watch them go by. When his eyes fell on Sasuke, they widened in surprise. Then he let out a shriek of happiness. "Bell Man!" he shouted, pointing at Sasuke. He was quickly dragged back into the house so he wouldn't continue to make a scene.

The group of strangers just looked at the child disappearing into the house and then at Sasuke. No words were said and they soon started riding and walking again, although the raven-haired shinobi did take a look back at the house the child was pulled into. He didn't dwell on it long and returned his attention back to what they were doing.

When they finally reached the stairs that would lead up to the Golden Hall, those who were riding dismounted their horses. They began climbing the steps, only to be met with guards at the top. While Gandalf looked happy to see him, the man leading the guards did not share the same feeling. "I cannot allow you before Théoden King so armed, Gandalf Greyhame," he said.

Boromir recognized the man immediately. "Has the trust of Rohan fallen so great that it doesn't trust Gondor and its Captain-General when he has come to see the king, Captain Hama?" he asked in a voice that would have no argument.

The man silently cursed himself for not recognizing the man. "My apologies, Lord Boromir, but while my trust in you and in Gondor has not faltered, this is the order of Gríma Wormtongue."

Gandalf said nothing save for an "Ah" of recognition. He nodded at the rest of his group, silently telling them to as they were asked. They did so and began to rid themselves of their weapons. It was done reluctantly and they let the guards know it by the looks on their faces.

When Hama noticed that none of the guards had touched Sasuke, he looked at them all. "He as well," he told them.

Before they even moved towards the hooded man, he stepped forward. "I remember you, Hama," he said in a quiet voice. "I remember when I brought your son back to you. You wept great tears of relief as you held him and so did he. Do you think such a man as me would harm the king?"

"Even so, I have my orders and I must ask you to give up any weapons you might have on you, Bell Man," Hama told him.

"As you command, but I will want them back." He took all the weapons he had on his body and held them out for the guards to take. The guard who took the katana did die immediately but he did look a lot paler than before.

The captain of the guard watched in silence as the weapons were taken, but then he noticed that Gandalf still had something on him (or rather, with him). "Your staff," he said to the Wizard.

Gandalf looked at him and then at his staff with a look of worry that made him seem older and frailer. "You would not part an old man from his walking stick," he replied. Legolas stepped forward and took the Wizard's left arm with his right, adding to the image of frailty.

Hama relented and turned to lead them into the hall. When he entered, he bowed briefly to the throne at the other end of the hall and the king who sat on it. Once he did that, he stepped out of the way to let the strangers in. The doors closed behind them with a loud _THUD_! They looked back to see that they were truly stuck inside the hall.

The man that was known as Wormtongue sat to the right of the king, who looked like an old and senile man. "My lord, Gandalf the Grey is coming," he whispered into the king's ear. "He's a herald of woe."

"The courtesy of your hall is somewhat lessened of late, Théoden King," Gandalf called out, letting his arm fall from Legolas's and walking on his own. As they went forward, they took notice of the fact that several young men to the sides of the hall were following them.

"He's not welcomed," Gríma whispered.

"Why…should I welcome you…Gandalf Stormcrow?" the king asked the Wizard, even when he was looking at his "advisor." His voice sounded weak and tired, like all he wanted to do was rest.

"A just question, my liege," Gríma praised him before standing up from where he sat. "Late is the hour in which this conjuror chooses to appear," he said as he began walking towards the strangers in the hall, more directly at Gandalf. "Láthspell I name him. Ill news is an ill guest," he declared as he stopped before the Wizard.

"Be silent!" Gandalf commanded, making him go silent. "Keep your forked tongue between your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to brandy crooked words with a witless worm." He held up his staff.

The Wormtongue instantly backed off. "His staff!" he gasped in surprise, stepping away from him. "I told you to take the Wizard's staff!" he shouted at Hama.

When his gaze was turned, Sasuke acted. He suddenly appeared in front of Gríma and struck him in enough spots to make him lose strength in his legs and fall to the ground. The young men who had been walking parallel to them charged. They were intent on attacking the strangers. But the strangers had seen them coming.

The brawl that occurred was no contest. The young men in the employment of Gríma had been barely more than common village thugs before joining his employment and they still held to their roots, whereas their opponents were trained, skilled, and experienced warriors who had faced worse things than them. The only time the thugs looked they had an advantage was when Boromir lost strength in his arms and was knocked down. Fortunately for the Captain-General, Sasuke had been close by and had grabbed the thug who tackled him and promptly threw him at a one of the columns.

While all of this was happening, Gandalf walked towards the throne. Gamling, another member of the guard, reached for his sword, wanting to protect his king, but Hama stopped him. "Théoden, son of Thengel," Gandalf called out to the king, who seemed to try to look away, only to keep his gaze on the Wizard. "Too long have you sat in the shadows."

At this point, Gríma managed to regain control of his legs and tried to get away, only to have Gimli's foot press down on his chest and stopped him. "I would stay still if I were you," he growled.

"Harken to me!" Gandalf commanded Théoden, getting his full attention. He lowered his staff and raised his hand. "I release you from this spell." He closed his eyes and the hand, concentrating.

But Théoden only began to laugh, a bitter and cackling laugh, making Gandalf open his eyes. "You have no power here, Gandalf the _Grey_!" he told the Wizard, continuing to laugh. It may have been the king's voice that was speaking, but it was Saruman's word in his mouth.

Gandalf raised his head and in one smooth motion, pulled the cloak covering him off, revealing the color of his robes to all who could see it. Light filled the hall and the laughing of Theoden was cut off in a cry of pain as he was thrown against the back of the throne. He tried fighting it, but could only bring his upper body forward. "I will draw, Saruman, as poison is drawn from a wound," Gandalf declared, thrusting his staff forward and slamming the king back against the throne.

No one in the hall said a thing as the Wizard approached the throne. But from a corridor leading to said hall, a woman of golden hair wearing a white dress appeared. Seeing what was happening, she rushed forward, only to be stopped by Aragorn. "Wait," he told her.

"If I go, Théoden dies," Saruman spoke through the king.

Gandalf thrust his staff again, forcing him back against the throne. "You did not kill me. You will not kill him," he replied, coming even closer to the throne.

Again, he tried to fight off the spell. "Rohan is mine!"

Again, Gandalf forced him back. "Begone!"

With a last surge of strength, the king threw himself at Gandalf with a cry. The White Wizard replied with a cry of his own and swept his staff over the king, forcing him back down onto his throne.

He sat there, groaning in pain while Gandalf lowered his staff. When it looked like he was about to fall out of the throne, the woman broke free of Aragorn's grasp and ran towards him, catching him as he fell out of the chair.

Everyone there (with the exception of Gandalf) stood in silent surprise as they watched a miracle happen. King Théoden, who had looked like a tired old man who let his hair become overgrown. But now, he was becoming younger by the second. His overgrown white hair became shorter and turned yellow. His beard, which had been long enough to reach his lap, shortened until it became a respectable goatee. And his eyes, which had been lightened by the glaze they had, darkened with youth.

When the transformation was done, he looked around like he did not know where he was, until he looked upon the woman. "I know your face," he told her. When she smiled, he remembered: she was Éowyn, his niece. "Éowyn, Éowyn," he repeated the name, remembering how it felt on his tongue. He turned his head to look at the rest of the hall and saw the Wizard standing before him. "Gandalf?" he asked.

"Breathe the free air again, my friend," Gandalf told him.

He stood up on his legs, his niece helping him up. "Dark have my dreams been of late," he said, mostly to himself, as he looked at those in his hall. Then he looked at his hands like he had never seen them before. They felt stiff and weak.

"Your fingers would remember their old strength better if they grasped your sword," the Wizard before suggested.

Hama, having been the keeper of the sword, came forward and took a knee, holding out the sword of the king to him. Théoden reached uncertainly for the hilt, but once he took hold and held it aloft, what little strength that had escaped him returned. Gone was the old man who was held by the grip of Saruman and the lies of Gríma Wormtongue. In his place was Théoden, Lord of the Mark and King of Rohan.

When his attention turned away from his sword, it fell on Gríma, who had tried to escape Gimli's grip (he failed). "Gamling, Hama," he said to his two men, who stood up straighter at their names. "Get this worm out of my hall."

Feral grins appeared on their faces at those words and they turned to Gríma. They grabbed hold of him, dragged him to the entrance of the hall, and threw him down the stairs. He landed with shout of pain and felt pain everywhere. When he turned his gaze up to the hall, he saw the king coming towards him with the sword drawn. "I've only ever served you, my lord!" he pleaded, crawling down the steps as he spoke.

But the king would not be moved. "Your leechcraft would have had me crawling on all fours like a beast!" he replied, going after the man with the entirety of the hall behind him.

"Send me not from your sight," Gríma pleaded again.

All Théoden did was raise his sword into a killing strike. But what the people who looked upon the scene heard was not the sound of metal cutting through flesh and bone, but the sound of metal striking metal. What they had seen was Sasuke drawing his katana (having taken it back) and stopping the king's strike. When Théoden turned to look at him with anger in his eyes, he was calm. "Your first act of freedom should not be murder," he said quietly, still holding the sword in check.

Aragorn, who had been surprised by the move the shinobi made, still took advantage of it. "My lord, enough blood has been spilled on his account," he said to Théoden, looking at Gríma.

The king said nothing and Boromir came to his other side. "He is not worth killing, Théoden King," he said. That seemed to have been the right words as Théoden's anger disappeared and he lowered his sword.

Sasuke saw him lowering the sword and promptly withdrew his own. But he did not sheath it. Instead, he walked down the steps and placed the tip of his weapon beneath Gríma's chin. He held it there for a second and then he lifted it to point down the steps. "Run," he ordered the cowering man. It was the only thing he said.

The Wormtongue did as he was ordered, scrambling to his feet and fleeing into the crowd that had gathered at the base of the steps. "Get out of my way!" he shouted at them as he pushed them aside.

His fleeing by horse did not get attention as the people in Edoras were more focused on who stood on the steps. Both Aragorn and Boromir saw this and as one, they shouted, "Hail, Théoden King!"

They all knelt to him and bowed their heads, even the man from the north and the man from Gondor. Théoden saw this, but he did not see it. As he turned from the crowds and looked around, he could not find one particular person. "Where is Théodred?" he asked. "Where is my son?" The looks on his niece's and guards' faces was all the answer he needed.

* * *

><p>As the sun set behind the mountains, he stood before the tomb of his son. Théodred's funeral had been taken care of that afternoon and all of Edoras had watched as his son was carried down from the hall and to his tomb. It was a quiet, somber affair. The silence was only broken when Éowyn began singing an old song of mourning.<p>

Now Théoden stood there with a white flower in his hand. "Simbelmynë," he said, naming the flower. With one last look at it, he threw it to the ground. "Ever has it grown on the tomb of the forbearers," he said to both Gandalf and Sasuke, who stood nearby in silence. He turned to look at them. "Now it shall cover the tomb of my son. Alas that these evil days be mine. The young perish and the old linger. That I should live to see the last days of my house."

Gandalf broke his silence. "Théodred's death was not of your making," he told the king.

But those words did not help. "No parent should have to bury their child," Théoden said in reply. As if those words had suddenly made him realize that his son was now gone, he began to weep. Tears poured out from his eyes as he fell to his knees.

Sasuke did not say anything. But even though he silently agreed with what was said, there was a part of him that said something different. _"No child should have to bury their parents when they still have their innocence."_ That was something he would never forget, attending the funeral of his entire clan.

"He was strong in life," Gandalf said to Théoden. "His spirit will find its way to the halls of your fathers." He said a few more words in Quenya and turned away to leave the king in his grief.

Sasuke followed the Wizard and the two of them walked back up the road to Edoras. But something caught their eyes and made them stop. A horse was coming towards the city and on its back were two children. The younger of the two, a girl, was still conscious and had raised her head when Edoras came into her view. But the elder, a boy, had fallen into unconsciousness and fell from the horse.

Sasuke was at the horse in a matter of seconds, catching the boy before he hit the ground. "I have him," he told the girl.

"Tha-thank you," she said, obviously weak from hunger and no sleep. But she was also glad. It was obvious that they had reached the king and safety.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Tolkien never did actually say where the Entwives went (despite some vague references in his letters that they might be dead), so that a little leeway. And the Elemental Nations are a big place to hide in.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	15. To safety

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 15: To safety

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Sasuke)

"**And what have you come for now?"** Indra asked him as they sat on their respective rocks, facing one another.

"I came to ask you a few questions," Sasuke told him, keeping his face impassive. "Are you as powerful as your father?"

His original incarnation scowled ever so slightly. **"Why does it matter?"**

"How you answer will answer my own question. It's obvious that you are outside time and space, like your father. But how much and how far can you reach back in is the question."

Indra was silent for the longest time (and considering where they were, that was saying something). **"…I am not as powerful as my father,"** he finally answered, sounding a little annoyed by the fact. **"I can reach back in, just to a lesser degree."**

"How much of a lesser degree would that be?" Sasuke asked.

The scowl grew more pronounced and his eyes swirled with his Kekkei Genkai. **"He could reach out to decades and centuries if he wanted to. I am only barely able to reach out to years."**

It must've been humbling for him to say that. He, whose line eventually produced the Uchiha clan (and possibly the Hyūga clan but Sasuke would have to check the genealogies on that), could barely even scratch the surface of what his father could do. But humbling was not what his most recent incarnation wanted to find out. He wanted to find out how far Indra could reach out into time and space and he had his answer.

"That's good to know."

"**Now why do you want to know these things?"**

"What we're fighting against has us outnumbered and outclassed when it comes to Rohan's military might, excluding their horses. We're going to need help if we're to succeed."

"**And this concerns me how?"**

"Because we need shinobi help," Sasuke told him.

Again, Indra was silent. But he spoke sooner than last time. **"Again, this concerns me how?"**

He couldn't believe that he was going to say this (despite all the two of them had been through, he had never thought he would actually say something like this), but it needed to be said. He could admit to that. "You need to reach out and call your brother."

The small annoyance that had been on Indra's face after asking how it concerned him disappeared almost instantly. It was replaced with a flat and hardened expression. **"No,"** he said shortly, like that was the end of the conversation.

But Sasuke wouldn't let it end there. "You know that we need his help here. All you have to do is call for him."

"**I said no,"** he repeated himself.

"Why not?" asked his reincarnation.

"**Because I said no,"** he answered. **"If you wish for help from shinobi, I **_**might**_** consider reaching out to send you help. But I will never call for Asura. I am better than that."**

"We need his help."

"**If you believe that, you're a fool."**

"I think that you would be the fool here," he accused Indra, a hint of anger showing in his voice. "You know that we need him and yet, you refuse to call for him out of a sense of pride."

The flat, hardened expression became infused with a tiny bit of anger. **"Leave, now,"** he ordered. Sasuke found that he could not argue and he quickly found himself in the real world.

(Location: Éowyn)

When her uncle declared that the people of Edoras would leave for Helm's Deep, she had helped in any way she could. That meant help packing away the supplies, bringing the weapons to the wagons, and making sure the people were ready to leave. And ever since her small meeting with the Ranger in the stables with Brego, Théodred's horse, she had been more focused on the tasks she worked on.

While she helped load supplies onto a wagon, she noticed something. "Where are all the children?" she asked one of the nearby maids who were helping load the supplies. None of the children that usually played nearby were there.

Fortunately for the niece of Théoden, the maid she had asked had the answer she was looking for. "I saw them go out the main gate."

"What? Why?" she demanded.

"I do not know. I thought that they were playing a game."

"Until we actually leave, they should stay inside the walls. Follow me." She turned from the wagon and went for the main gate, the maid following quickly behind her. No child should be wandering outside without an adult to keep an eye on them.

They found the children easily enough. They were standing outside the gate, looking down at the burial mounds. "What are you lot doing?" the maid demanded when she saw them just milling around on the road.

They all flinched at being caught and then looked at the two adults. They looked down at the ground, not wanting to turn their heads up. "We're waiting," Éowyn told them.

One of the older kids finally looked up and answered her. "We were trying to play a game of courage."

She knew what a game of courage was, having played a few when she was a child along with her brother and cousin. What she was more concerned about was their location for the game. "And you decided to have it outside the walls of the city?"

"We were trying to see who would be the bravest to get close to the Bell Man," another child told her.

That got Éowyn's attention. "The Bell Man?" she repeated, getting nods from all the children. "Where is he?"

"He's down there," the first child pointed down to the burial mounds.

She followed his finger and saw that the Bell Man was indeed amongst the burial mounds of the dead kings of Rohan. To be more specific, he was sitting in front of the burial mound of Théodred. Anger began to burn within her heart at the sight. "Go back into the city," she told both the children and the maid. "I will talk to him."

"But one of us hasn't gotten close to him," one of the children protested quietly.

"Go back," she repeated.

"But—" Whatever the child was about to say was silenced by the maid's hand over his mouth.

"Of course, Lady Éowyn," the maid said. "Come along, children, we must go." She herded them back up to the gates of Edoras.

Meanwhile, King Théoden's niece strode down to the burial mounds with anger in her footsteps. She stopped and stood before the Bell Man. "What are you doing?"

He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Sitting," he answered.

She could see that. He was sitting with his legs folded and his weapon upon his lap. But that wasn't the point. "Do you have any idea where you are sitting?"

"Of course I do. I am sitting in front of your cousin's tomb."

"So you admit to being disrespectful to the dead," she accused him with a harsh tone of voice.

His face was blank during the conversation and when she accused him, he did not change it. "Hardly," he replied easily.

"You sit before the tomb of my cousin and you claim to not be disrespectful? You have some nerve to claim that. Leave the dead in peace."

"I am doing exactly that," the foreigner told her with ease. "What you are failing to understand that we have different customs concerning the dead."

She was caught off-guard by those words but only momentarily. "What do you mean by those words?" she demanded.

Slowly and carefully, he stood up from where he sat, taking his weapon off of his lap to holding it at his side. The cloak he wore seemed to engulf his body, hiding it from sight. "Amongst my clan, there was a tradition that when a clansman died and was buried, their first night in death was watched over by another clansman, so that they would know peace for one night," he told her.

She listened in silence. "You have spent the night out here?" she could not help but ask. It would make sense, as no one had seen him since the funeral.

He nodded only once. "Your cousin deserved that much consideration." With nothing else to say, he walked past her and back up to Edoras. She stared silently at his back as he entered the gate.

(Location: Isengard)

Saruman was angry; it showed in how he paced the room. He had underestimated his former friend when he had control of Théoden, still thinking he would be weaker than he was. Then Gandalf revealed the color of his robes and forced him from Théoden. The staff might not have physically struck the king, but Saruman had felt it. He had been flung from the palantir and fell to the floor when it happened, bleeding from his forehead.

"Gandalf the White?" he said to himself as he paced the hall of the palantir. "Gandalf the Fool! Does he think to humble me with his newfound piety?" It was most likely the case. Why else would he do such a thing in such a way?

"There were five who followed the Wizard. An Elf, a Dwarf, and three Men," said Gríma Wormtongue as he entered the hall. He had fled from Edoras all the way here to Isengard.

"You stink of horse," the former White Wizard told him shortly, being able to smell it from where he stood. Wormtongue heard the silent warning and promptly backed away from him. "Tell me of these Men," Saruman ordered him, stopping him in his tracks. "Was one of them from Gondor?"

"Only one, Lord Boromir, it's Captain-General," he answered, dabbling his mouth with a handkerchief to wipe the blood. "The second was from the north. One of the Dúnedain Rangers, I thought he was." He paused for a moment, thinking about something he had seen, and then spoke again. "And yet, he bore a strange ring. Two serpents with emerald eyes. One devouring, the other crowned with golden flowers," he described the ring.

Saruman knew what the Wormtongue was describing and yet, he still must make sure it was what he thought it to be. He turned from his spy and went to his study. He pulled out the book he knew contained the information he was looking for, opening it as he sat down in his chair. As he turned the pages, he found one with an image of the very ring Grima had described.

"The ring of Barahir," he said as he looked upon the image. "So Gandalf Greyhame thinks he's found Isildur's Heir. The lost king of Gondor," he said to himself and to Gríma (but mostly himself). "He is a fool. The line was broken years ago." He closed the book and turned to look at his spy. "Tell me of the third Man."

"I have seen and met this Man before. But he is as strange and mysterious now as he was before. What cloth he wears is hidden by the elven cloak he wore. His features are strange and foreign. All I can say truly is that I know for certain is that he is not from Middle-Earth."

Saruman knew that little information was practically useless. "I see your skills of spying and observing have fallen," he told Gríma, making the other man flinch at the insult. "It matters not. The world of Men shall fall. It will begin at Edoras."

"No, it will not," his spy said, walking back into the hall of the palantir.

Saruman looked back at him. "Why?" he asked, following Wormtongue.

"Théoden will not stay at Edoras. It's vulnerable, he knows this. He will expect an attack on the city. They will flee to Helm's Deep, the great fortress of Rohan. It is a dangerous road to take through the mountains. They will be slow. They will have women, and children."

That got his attention. If they were going to be slow, that was an advantage for him. Without saying anything to his spy, he left the tower and went down to the factory that surrounded the tower. To be more specific, he went down to a part of the factory that housed beasts that had been gathered and trained.

An orc sat on a rock above the pit, taking notice of the Wizard approaching him. "Send out your Warg riders," he was ordered. He grinned in response as the sounds from the pit continued to pound away inside their ears.

(Location: Rohan)

The people living in Edoras had left their city and home. They travelled in slow convoy toward their destination: Helm's Deep. They were aware of the dangers in moving at such a slow pace but they didn't focus on that fact. They preferred to think of how with every step, they got closer to their sanctuary.

The members of the Fellowship who had been at Edoras (save for Gandalf) were riding along with the convoy. The White Wizard had left the city atop Shadowfax while the supplies were still being packed, having gone out to look Éomer and his men. Before he left, he had told Aragorn to make sure the defenses of Helm's Deep would hold. The Ranger promised it would be so and the Wizard left soon after.

Now, the five of them helped the convoy alone. Some were walking and some were riding, but they were all going in the same direction. Some were more incline to entertain than others. "It's true you don't see many Dwarf women," Gimli told Éowyn as he rode on a horse and she walked alongside. "And, in fact, they are so alike in voice and appearance that they are often mistaken for Dwarf men," he said with a chuckle.

Éowyn smiled at that but turned her head to look back at Aragorn for silent confirmation. "It's the beards," he whispered, gesturing to his chin.

"This, in turn, has given rise to the belief that there are no Dwarf women," Gimli continued as she turned her head back. "And that Dwarves just spring out of holes in the ground." She laughed at that and he chuckled alongside her. "Which is, of course, ridiculous—" Whatever he was going to say next disappeared in the shout of surprise that came out of his mouth when the horse he was riding suddenly galloped forward. He lost his grip on the reins and fell off the horse, dropping the axe he was carrying.

"It's alright, it's alright!" he quickly assured the people around him as Éowyn rushed over to his side. "That was deliberate, it was deliberate!"

"For your sake, Gimli, pray Legolas doesn't hear otherwise," Boromir remarked with a grin on his face as he passed by.

That got the dwarf off the ground right away. "Are you planning on telling him, Boromir?!" he demanded.

"Not I!" he replied with a laugh.

As this all happened, Théoden and Aragorn rode side-by-side. "I've not seen my niece smile for a long time," the king told the Ranger. "She was a girl when they brought her father back dead, cut down by Orcs." Éowyn looked back at them with a smile on her face as she made sure Gimli was alright. "She watched her mother succumb to grief. Then she was left alone, to tend her king in growing fear. Doomed to wait upon an old man who should've loved her as a father," he declared bitterly.

Aragorn had nothing to saying, so the king rode ahead.

* * *

><p>Later, when the convoy had stopped for a rest, Éowyn walked through the people with a few bowls and a cooking small pot full of food. "Gimli?" she said to the passing dwarf, offering the pot.<p>

"N-no, I couldn't," he said, placing his hands up in a gesture of denial and continued to walk on. "I really couldn't," he said, half to her and half to himself.

Not put off by the rejection, she went over to Aragorn, who was sitting nearby on a small mound. Nearby sat Sasuke, sitting in the same position she saw him amongst the burial mounds. This time, the sword was propped up against his shoulder. "I made some stew," she told the two of them. "It isn't much, but it's hot." She might've made it for one person, but there were two there and she was polite.

"Thank you," Aragorn said as she filled two bowls and gave them to him and Sasuke, who took his without saying anything. When he scooped up some of the stew and took a bite, he instantly regretted it. He had tasted some terrible things in his life, but this stew was high up on the list. But Éowyn was right there with a look of concern, so he couldn't afford to be rude. "It's good," he told her as he finally swallowed it.

"Really?" she asked, glad to hear it. He nodded once; silently noticing that Sasuke had ate all of his without flinching. She turned away and he tried to pour it out without her seeing. But she turned back, forcing him to stop (and spill some on his leg). "My uncle told me a strange thing. He said that you rode to war with Thengel, my grandfather. But he must be mistaken."

"King Théoden has a good memory," he told her. "He was only a small child at the time."

Surprised to hear those words, she knelt down before him. "Then you must be at least 60," she said to him. He felt a little embarrassed to hear those words and said nothing. "70?" He still said nothing. "You cannot be 80!"

"She's not going to stop until you tell her," Sasuke said from where he sat without even looking at them.

Knowing that he spoke the truth, Aragorn told her. "87."

Realizing what that meant, she stood up in surprise. "You are one of the Dúnedain," she said to him. "A descendant of Númenor, blessed with long life. It was said that your race had passed into legend." She had read and heard all the stories. Now, one of them sat before her.

"There are few of us left," he said shortly. "The Northern Kingdom was destroyed long ago."

"I'm sorry. Please, eat," she urged him. Having no choice, he did. As he, she looked over at Sasuke. "Are you one of the Dúnedain as well?"

"No," he said shortly.

"He is not, my lady," Aragorn said to her while he ate (reluctantly).

"Oh, I see." She didn't know what else to say until her eyes came upon the sword he held. "That is a style of sword I have never seen before."

He looked up at her. "It's called a katana. It's a style of sword from where I am from."

"And is that particular ka-katana special to you?" she asked, stumbling over the foreign word.

"It belonged to my ancestor."

"So it is an heirloom?"

"…In a manner of speaking," he admitted. He wasn't even going to try to explain the connection between him, Indra, and the sword.

"What is its name?"

"It doesn't have one."

"Why not?" she asked, surprised by the news. She had thought that all heirloom weapons had names.

"What would be the point? It's an instrument that brings death to those I bear it against." She had no answer to that.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, when the sun had begun to set, the convoy stopped so they could eat. Fires had been set up around groups who ate together. Everyone knew what was happening and where they were going. But at that moment, it didn't matter.<p>

The others had joined some fires to enjoy the company of others, but Sasuke had not. He had taken his food and walked away, sitting by himself on a small mound. It was a habit he was far too used to. But he made no attempts to break it.

He sat in silence and ate in silence as well. But as he ate, his eyes wandered to the people sitting at the fires. He didn't sit so far apart that he was invisible to them, just enough so it was clear that he wanted to be alone as he ate.

He watched silently as the people of Rohan sat around the fires, ate their food, and enjoyed the comforts of being near one another. They were happy for the moment, even when they knew that tomorrow would only be more hard walking and dangers. But he wouldn't let the moment be ruined by reminding them of what was coming.

As he watched the food be passed around and the children standing often and moving to different fires, he felt an emotion in his chest. It was an emotion that he had felt before and he hadn't enjoyed feeling it recently. It had been with him since the Academy, and his friend. But ever since he had come to this land, the emotion had changed, which was why he didn't like feeling it.

It was envy. Ever since he had seen Naruto get stronger and it had felt he was getting nowhere, he was envious of the blonde. He used that envy to train harder and make himself stronger. Perhaps envy was one of the reasons why he had left the village to go to Orochimaru (although that didn't matter now).

But nowadays, envy came to him in a different matter and if he was truthful to himself, he felt ashamed every time he felt it. It came to him whenever he saw families together, being happy and content with one another. He had been there before, when his clan was alive and he looked up to his brother.

But then Itachi and Obito killed them all, leaving him the sole survivor. He had lost that feeling of a family and now, whenever he saw a family together, he couldn't help but feel a little envious. He wanted to have a family again, but he had also realized that if he was going to have it, he would have to be the parent. The problem with that was he thought that he wouldn't be a good parent. That was another part of the envy he felt: he wanted what they had but he knew he would not be good at it.

The sounds of feet walking on the grass filled his ears and he went still at those sounds. But when he saw feet that didn't belong to an orc, he relaxed. He was a little surprised to see who the feet belonged to when he turned to look, but he did not let it show on his face. "Théoden King," he greeted the Lord of the Mark.

"I have heard the children call you the Bell Man," Théoden said to him, standing to his side. He had not been in Edoras when the children had been returned and so, had not met him. Now, he wanted to see what he was. "But is there a name you can call your own?"

"The Bell Man does not count?" he asked.

"That is a title, not a name. Do you have a name?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "The elves call me Crabandir."

"And yet, I feel that is not the name your mother gave you when you were a babe in her arms."

"You would be right," he said shortly. He looked up at the king and then at the ground he was standing on. "Sit down already."

Théoden looked at him with a serious expression on his face. "You would order a king?"

"It's wasn't an order, it was a suggestion. Just sit down."

There was a moment of nothing before the king finally did sit down. "Will you tell me your real name?" he asked.

"No," Sasuke said shortly.

"I could order you to tell me." He wasn't going to do that, but he wanted to see how this stranger to Middle-Earth would react.

He didn't disappoint. "And I would ignore it."

The king was a little surprised to hear those words. "You would refuse the order of a king?" That had been something he had not thought of. He was always taught that a king should be obeyed when the orders did not bring down evil upon him or those he rules.

"You're not my king," Sasuke told him.

"I am a king."

"But you are not _my_ king."

"Then who is your king?" Théoden asked him, taking the conversation in a different direction.

"I don't have a king."

He frowned somewhat. "Before you came here to Middle-Earth, did you have any concept of a king?"

The stranger turned his gaze upon him. It was silent, expressionless, and cold gaze, one that made him feel that he was being watched by a predator. "…We did not have kings, but we had leaders," Crabandir finally said.

"_Ah, I see now,"_ the king thought to himself. The man he was talking to came from a different land, which must have different customs. Before he came here, he probably didn't know what the word "king" meant. But he did know what a leader was. "Who was your leader?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"I am simply curious."

"Who led me doesn't matter, I am my own man."

"Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

"You have, several times," he said shortly.

Théoden smiled a little at that. "That is true, but I hope you don't mind one more."

He stopped himself from rolling his eyes at those words. "What's stopping you from asking it already?"

Taking that as a yes, the king of Rohan asked his question. "What makes a stranger to these lands, who had made no attempt to settle in one place or to make himself known to the people who live there, go after orcs who have taken children and bring those children back? Why do you do that?"

Crabandir was silent. As his silence continued, the people around the fires started to stop eating and began eating. It was a slow process and it began with the children. They began nodding off and the parents started taking them away to sleep. There were some protests but they were of the sleepy kind and weren't taken seriously.

"Mama," he heard one of the children say as she was carried away from the fire.

"Yes, what is it, little one?" her mother asked.

"Can you sing to me?"

He saw the mother smile just a little. "What song do you want to hear?"

The child was becoming more and more sleepy, as shown by her slurred voice, but she still answered the question. "The good one," she said.

"As you wish, my dear," the mother said. She began to sing.

(Start May it be)

May it be an evening star  
>Shines down upon you<br>May it be when darkness falls  
>Your heart will be true<br>You walk a lonely road  
>Oh how far you are from home<p>

Mornie utulie (Darkness has come)  
>Believe and you will find your way<br>Mornie alantie (Darkness has fallen)  
>A promise lives within you now<p>

May it be the shadow's call  
>Will fly away<br>May it be you journey on  
>To light the day<br>When the night is overcome  
>You may rise to find the sun<p>

Mornie utulie (Darkness has come)  
>Believe and you will find your way<br>Mornie alantie (Darkness has fallen)  
>A promise lives within you now<br>A promise lives within you now

(End May it be)

When she was done singing, the child was asleep. The mother sat down on the ground over a cloak that had been spread out, still holding her daughter. The two of them fell asleep on the cloak. The song that she had sung hung over the air. Everyone who had heard it (and that was anyone who was in earshot) had fallen silent, thinking about what the song meant.

The Bell Man turned to the king of Rohan. "That's why," he said shortly.

Théoden understood what he meant. "I see," he replied. He stood up and walked away, leaving the raven-haired shinobi alone.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

You will find out if Indra will help or not soon, I promise you that. So please don't ask if he does or not, or even who he will send.

I think that the children would want to see Sasuke and talk to him again, but they wouldn't know how to. I mean, he's not Naruto, so it wouldn't be easy for him. He's got that aura that tells people he doesn't know to leave him alone.

The ritual that Sasuke spoke is not an actual one (at least, not that I'm aware of), it's just something that I came up with.

Don't start telling me about how the Konoha Twelve was his family. I am well aware of that. The question is does he realize that.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	16. Troubles on the path

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 16: Troubles on the path

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Rohan)

The convoy went slowly onwards, heading for Helm's Deep. They were close, but they were not there and so they had to be careful still. Théoden knew this and so as he rode on, he looked at two of his guards. "Hama, Gamling, ride ahead and scout the path," he told them.

"As you command, Théoden King," Hama said, bowing his head in acknowledgment. The two rode forward to the head of the convoy, passing the people. Some of them looked at them as they passed, wondering what they were doing and/or where they were going. Others (like Aragorn, Éowyn, and Boromir) knew what they were doing and said nothing as they passed.

When they reached the head of the convoy and rode beyond it, they passed both Sasuke and Legolas, who were keeping a lookout. "Aren't we already doing what they are doing?" Sasuke asked with a small hint of sarcasm as he watched them pass. Legolas didn't answer, prompting him to look at the elf. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I'm not sure," Legolas answered. "But something is out there."

Meanwhile, Hama and Gamling had ridden far enough to be out of sight of the convoy. They were passing a rocky cliff when their horses began to fight against the reins, wanting to turn and run. "What is it? Hama?" Gamling asked his fellow guard and friend.

"I'm not sure," Hama answered. They started to look around for what had scared their horses, but the one place they didn't look was up.

On the top of the cliff was an orc riding what looked to be a cross between a hyena and a wolf, looking down on them. The orc kicked the creature's sides, prompting it to leap down at them with a roar. Both of the horsemen looked up to see where the roar had come from, but it was already too late. The creature smashed into Hama's horse, making it fall to the ground (breaking its neck in the process), and throwing Hama out of his saddle.

He hit the ground hard and was dazed for a moment. When the dizziness faded and he realized what had happened, he tried to reach for his sword. But the creature was already coming at him with jaws agape and all he could do was scream.

His scream was heard by the people in the convoy. And it was also heard by Sasuke and Legolas. "Shit," Sasuke swore. "Come on!" he told Legolas, already running ahead. The elf was not far behind him.

Gamling shook himself out of his shock of seeing the orc rider and Hama getting killed. He knew what that creature was the orc was riding. "Wargs!" he yelled out as he drew his sword from its scabbard and moved in to attack.

They exchanged a few strikes of the swords but he knew that his horse was paralyzed with fear from the sight of the warg. He couldn't move and he also saw that the warg was backing up slightly, getting ready to leap again.

But an arrow suddenly buried itself in the warg's eye, killing it and making it throw its rider from the saddle in its death throes. Gamling looked at where the arrow and come from to see both Sasuke and Legolas coming down the hill he and Hama had ridden down just seconds ago.

When Sasuke saw that the rider was still alive, he moved quickly and swiftly killed it with a kunai to its throat. But he knew that couldn't be the only one. The sight of a small (and ugly-looking) horn at its side confirmed his suspicions. He heard footsteps on the hill and turned to see Aragon looking down at them. "He's a scout!" he shouted up to the Ranger, who turned back and run down the hill. While Gamling followed him, the elf and shinobi went in the other direction.

As the two men ran back to the convoy, Théoden saw their frantic speed and quickly urged his horse to a gallop, racing to meet them. "What is it? What do you see?" he asked them.

"Wargs!" shouted Aragorn as he went for the horse he had barrowed. "We're under attack!"

When they heard the word "Warg," the people of Edoras began to panic. They knew of wargs and what they could do to their prey. They started to panic and that dreaded word began to travel down the length of the convoy, causing more panic to build up.

Boromir, from atop his horse, saw the panic building. "Get them out of here!" he shouted for any to hear. Some did hear him and began to usher the people in the convoy back to some order, but it wasn't enough.

As Aragorn climbed atop his horse and took the reins, Théoden turned his horse to face the convoy. "All riders to the head of the column," he ordered in a loud voice.

Gimli heard this order and immediately turned his own horse. "Come on. Get me up here. I'm a rider," he told the people next to him, who were also helping him get on the horse. "Come on!" he shouted once he was actually on.

As the riders began to mobilize and head for the head of the convoy, Théoden went to Éowyn. "You must lead the people to Helm's Deep, and make haste," he told her.

"I can fight," she responded. She had been taught how to use the spear, the sword, and the shield. She was a shieldmaiden, waiting to show her skills on the field of battle.

But her uncle had a different opinion on that. "No! You must do this, for me," he told her. For a moment, she said nothing. Then she turned back to her horse. "Lord Boromir, please help my niece get the people to Helm's Deep!" he called out to the Captain-General of Gondor.

"As you command, King Théoden!" he replied, already urging his horse close to Éowyn. If truth be told, he was secretly glad to have that option. His strength had been leaving him more and more often of late and he did not know if it would stay if he fought.

Glad to have heard those words, the king turned his horse around. "Follow me!" he shouted for all the riders to hear. They did hear and followed after him.

Gimli tried to follow as well, only to have some difficulty with the horse. "Forward. I mean, charge forward," he told it, but it went backwards instead.

Knowing that she had been given an order to help the people there (and also knowing that she would not disobey it for personal glory), Éowyn turned towards them. "Make for the lower ground!" she told them, urging them onto the lower ground.

"That's it! Go on!" Gimli exclaimed as he finally managed to get the horse moving forward instead of back, urging it forward along with the other riders.

"Stay together!" Éowyn told the fleeing people, who were already bunching up around their families. As she and Boromir herded them down to the path of relative safety, she looked back to see Aragorn. Their eyes connected for a moment before he turned around to follow the banner of the white horse of Rohan to battle.

* * *

><p>When Legolas and Sasuke reached the top of the hill they had run up, the rest of the warg attack force riding their way, filling the airs with their howls. Sasuke didn't waste any time. He began flipping through handseals and took a deep breath. <strong>"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu<strong> (Fire Style: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique)**!" **he said before spitting out multiple small fireballs that immediately flew towards the wargs. Some struck and set the wargs they hit ablaze, but some also missed.

"Give me cover," he told Legolas before suddenly charging down the hill towards the incoming wargs. The elf was caught off-guard by the request, but he pulled out an arrow, nocked it, and fired it at the wargs, taking one and its rider down. He shot a few more arrows, hitting his target each time, before the riders of Rohan appeared behind him. Seeing that Gimli was riding a horse from the back of the saddle, he took that as an invitation and leapt onto the saddle.

Meanwhile, Sasuke was charging at the wargs at full speed. One of the orc riders saw him and urged his warg forward, intent on taking first blood (unaware of that position had already been taken by the scout). Sasuke saw this and turned towards him to meet his attack, drawing the katana. But when it looked like warg rider and shinobi were about to hit one another, the shinobi of the two leapt into the air.

The orc only had time to look up in surprise before the katana entered its brain, killing him instantly. Sasuke kicked the body off of the warg and swiftly sat in the saddle. The warg tried to throw him off, but one look at his **Sharingan** and it was under his control. _"Works every time,"_ Sasuke thought to himself as he turned the warg around to run back at the enemy lines.

The other riders (both men and orc) were surprised to see him do something like that. But the men weren't ones to not take advantage of something like that and urged their mounts forward faster, shouting war-cries for the enemy to hear.

The warg riders did the same thing and when the two sides clashed together, things quickly became a mess. The riders of Rohan had better weaponry then the orcs and knew how to maneuver their horses; the problem was that the wargs themselves were also deadly. Their scent, if they got close enough in the right direction, was enough to make a horse still in fear. They also weren't above leaping up and knocking the horses down, making thrown riders easy targets.

As his blood got pumping at the sight of battle all around him, Gimli accidently fell off of the saddle he was sharing with Legolas. And while the elf rode on, he did look back to see that the dwarf had landed safely. He got back up onto his feet and grabbed hold of his axe.

He saw his first target was a warg who had lost its rider but was feasting on one of the dead horses that began to litter the battlefield. Sensing that someone was watching it, it lifted its head, its jaws bloody from the meat it ate, and saw Gimli standing there. Interested in the prospects of a fresh meal, it leapt over the dead horse and began making its way over to the dwarf.

Said dwarf was ready and waiting. "Bring your pretty face to my axe!" he challenged the warg, keeping his axe at the ready. The warg accepted the challenge and quickened its pace. But as it was about to leap at him, Legolas came riding back and shot an arrow at it, killing the creature instantly.

Needless to say, Gimli was annoyed the elf had interfered. "That one counts as mine!" he shouted at Legolas' back.

"Look out!" Sasuke shouted at him as he rode past. The dwarf turned to see what he was talking about, only to see a warg right in front of him. He swung his axe at its head, killing it. But it moved in such a way that when it collapsed, it collapsed right on top of him, making him grunt sharply in surprise.

But that didn't last long. "Stinking creature," he growled as he began to push the warg off of his body. He stopped when he saw an orc standing over the dead body with a long dagger at the ready. It reached down to grab him, intending on plunging the dagger into his head.

However, he grabbed the orc as well and snapped its neck while it was surprised. It fell on top of the warg, adding weight to it. Now that he was dealing with more weight to push off of. And that wasn't the only thing he had to suffer through. _"And I thought that the warg smelt bad!"_ he thought to himself as he was forced to smell the dead orc.

Sasuke was facing the same thing as he rode the hypnotized warg through the battlefield, attacking the other wargs and orcs. He had (rather unfortunately) been in some situations where he had been forced to smell an orc. The first time he had been forced to do that (as he was sneaking into the orc band camp to rescue a few children stolen from Gondor), the next day or two was spent wondering if he should go back to the Elemental Nations for the sake of his nose. He may have gone up against people who could rearrange the landscape with ease there, but at least they had the common courtesy to smell decent.

But now, he was dealing with the smell of the orcs and the smell of wargs (and it didn't help that he was riding one of said wargs). _"If one of the Inuzuka clan was here, they'd probably have passed out by now,"_ he thought to himself. But while he was thinking of the entire clan, his mind wandered over to a specific member of the clan, one that had been a friend, of sorts.

If he wasn't in the middle of a battle, he would've shaken his head to stop his train of thought. Instead, as he ran down another orc rider and decapitated both rider and warg, he mentally chastised himself. _"Now isn't the time to reminisce. Focus on the fight."_

He did just that, going back to the fight. When it had begun and the wargs began attacking the riders themselves, he started running interference. Whenever a warg was about to attack a rider instead of running past and letting the orc on its back do all the work, he would ride over and kill the warg.

It was a good plan and he had protected a good number of the riders. But he could not have the hypnotized warg be everywhere at once and multiple wargs were attacking multiple riders, pulling them down from their saddles and killing them with a snap of their jaws. Still, he did not stop.

He rode on through the field of battle, attacking and killing any warg that got too close. He didn't stay in one place, either. He rode his warg all around the battlefield, trying to make sure he stayed on (he had ridden a horse a couple of times before, but this was completely different). The other warg riders had taken notice of his tactics and were now trying to stay on the other side of the battlefield or were trying to attack him directly.

But those tactics did not stop him and the katana he wielded was dripping with blood from the number of orcs and wargs he killed. _"How many more are left?"_ he asked himself as he rode after one warg that had tried to go after a rider of Rohan. Only, at the last moment, the warg veer off. _"What was that?"_ Sasuke asked. But it was a passing thought; he was more concerned with going after the warg itself.

As he rode after it, another warg rode up beside him with an orc on its back with a bow in its hands. The raven-haired shinobi noticed at the bow with a nocked arrow pointed right at him at the last moment. He swung the katana down at the orc's arms, chopping them off in an instant. The orc howled in pain, but the arrow struck the hypnotized warg instead of its rider, killing it.

Sasuke instantly leapt out of the saddle when he felt the warg go into its death throes. He landed on his feet and slashed at the warg that ran beside him, almost cutting it in half but killing it anyway. The handless orc went flying but died when he threw a kunai at it and striking the head dead in the center.

He turned around to see another warg standing over the dead orc and warg that were atop of Gimli, its intent was obvious. He quickly pulled out another kunai and threw it at the warg, burying it in its eye. It rose up for a brief moment and then crashed down onto the pile, making the dwarf gasp in pain and surprise.

But he was quickly pulled out from beneath the pile from the shinobi himself. "Not to complain, Sasuke, but you couldn't have done that a bit sooner?" he asked as he got back onto his feet, grabbing his axe.

"Worry about that later," Sasuke told him as he watched the remaining wargs on the battlefield. "Stay back-to-back!" He felt the dwarf's smaller back press against his and the two of them struck any orc rider or warg that got too close.

But they didn't need to stay like that for long. The battle was ending in favor of the Men. What wargs and orc riders still living were being driven off. Gimli saw this and relaxed his guard somewhat. "I don't think we need to keep this position any more, lad," he told Sasuke. He took noticed of a wounded warg on its side nearby. He went over to it and with a great cry, buried his axe in its head.

As the men of Rohan began to survey the damage that had been done to them by the wargs, Legolas looked around the battlefield. There was someone missing from his sight. "Aragorn?" he called out as he walked through the field.

Both Sasuke and Gimli heard the elf call out and began looking themselves. But they could not see the Ranger anywhere. "Aragorn?" shouted Gimli, but there was no answer. Now even Théoden and his riders were looking for him.

Both elf and shinobi started looking on the field itself, trying to find any trace of where the Ranger was. When Legolas neared the nearby cliff side, he heard the sound of a wounded cackle. He looked back and saw a dying orc lying on the ground.

Gimli, Théoden, and Sasuke heard the sound as well and saw the orc. Gimli was the first to reach him and placed his axe against his neck. "Tell me what happened and I will ease your passing," he told the orc.

"He's…dead," the orc said with a weak cackle. "He took a little tumble off the cliff." He grinned monstrously at those words.

While the king of Rohan went to the cliff, the elf noticed something in the dying orc's hand. He pried it open and pulled out a jewel that was nothing but magnificent and beautiful. "This is the Evenstar," he said to Gimli and Sasuke. "It belongs to the Lady Arwen. She…" His voice stopped for a moment. "She must have given it to him before we left Rivendell."

"By the ancestors, no," Gimli said, hoping what that meant wasn't so. Legolas went to the cliff's edge to see if there was anything left of Aragorn. But all he saw was a river that flowed swiftly.

The orc cackled once more. "Pity, you won't be able to find him now," he gurgled with a grin.

Sasuke grabbed him by his vest and pulled him up so that they would look one another in the eyes. "Suffer," he commanded as his eyes transformed into the **Mangekyō Sharingan**. **"Tsukuyomi,"** he whispered the jutsu's name.

The dying orc went from cackling to screaming in a second. He died a second later but none of the others noticed, they were more concerned about looking down at the river below, trying to find any sign of Aragorn (only to have none).

Hearing footsteps behind them, Théoden turned to see Gamling coming towards them. "Get the wounded on horses," he commanded. "The wolves of Isengard will return. Leave the dead." Those words made Legolas turn to look at him. But all he did was clasp a hand on the elf's shoulder. "Come," he said before walking away.

Both Legolas and Gimli stayed where they were, looking down at the river. "Legolas, Gimli, we have to go," Sasuke called out to them. They turned back to see the riders already going away from the field of battle. And even though they wanted to keep looking, they knew he was right.

(Location: Éowyn)

She and Boromir had led the convoy for the past hour away from the battle. The pace they set was hurried, for they did not want the wargs to catch them. It soon bore fruit as they crested the last small hill and saw the sanctuary standing before them, nestled between the two mountains.

Cries of "Helm's Deep" and "We're safe!" echoed throughout the convoy as more and more people began to see Helm's Deep and they began to run towards to the stronghold. Even Éowyn was relieved to see it, especially when a woman walked to her and said, "We're safe, my lady. Thank you."

She left before the niece of the king could give a proper response. "There is still a walk before us," she said quietly to Boromir, who was by her side.

"Let them have their joy," he told her. "They will be there soon enough."

She could find no argument with those words and led the people down the hill, across the valley, and up the causeway to the safety of Helm's Deep. When the guards before the gate opened it to let her and the convoy in, she saw that the rest of Rohan were already there.

The people crowded the fortress proper as well as the area behind the Deeping Wall. It was obvious that Saruman had struck far and wide in Rohan while Gríma held sway over the king. She could only look upon the number of people standing at the entrance to the gate alone before realizing what had to be done. "Lord Boromir, could you please escort the people down to the camp so that they might be settled?" she asked the man from Gondor.

"Of course, Lady Éowyn," he said in reply. He turned to the people in the convoy. "Follow me!" he called out, leading the way. He had been to Helm's Deep before, when he had been a younger man and Gondor and Rohan were still on friendly terms.

When they reached the camp, the people who had come from Edoras began to spread out and find people they knew. They hugged one another, relief and gladness to see each other showing in their tears and their smiles. Even the two children who had ridden for Edoras found someone. "Mama!" shouted the girl as she and her brother ran towards their mother.

"Éothain! Freda!" she said when she saw them running, kneeling down and throwing her arms to catch them in a tight hug. They held onto one another, not ever letting go. Boromir saw this happen and smiled at the sight. It was a good thing that they had reunited.

* * *

><p>Éowyn was helping take stock of the supplies that had been brought to the fortress. "Where is the rest?" she asked as she put down a barrel of beard.<p>

"This is all we could save, my lady," one of the nearby men told her.

She looked at the supplies that were there. It was enough to last them long enough, but if they were besieged for a long time, they would run out. "Take it to the caves," she ordered. The people around her began to do as she said.

Over the din of the people inside the fortress, a voice cried out from the causeway. "Make way for the king. Make way for Théoden. Make way for the king," it declared as the Lord of the Mark rode into the fortress with the rest of his riders behind him.

His niece heard the voice and saw her uncle. She went to go meet him as he stopped before the keep. But as she met them, she saw that the number of riders was much smaller than the ones that had left the convoy. "So few, so few of you have returned," she said as her uncle dismounted. But amongst the riders, there was one she did not see.

"Our people are safe," Théoden told her. "We have paid for it with many lives." He turned around to help a wounded man get off the horse he was riding.

Gimli, who already gotten off of the horse he shared with Legolas, walked up to her. "My lady," he said to her.

She turned her head towards him. "Lord Aragorn...where is he?" she asked him, worry in her voice.

His mouth moved a couple of times, but no words came out at first. But they soon did. "He fell," he told her. At first, she did not seem to understand those two words. When she did, she looked back at her uncle, trying to see if it was true. He looked at her, feeling her eyes on him, and then looked away as he went up the stairs. That was all the answer she needed and she had to sit down.

* * *

><p>Later, when everything had been taken care, the king of Rohan stood on the Deeping Wall with his men around him. "Draw all our forces behind the wall," he ordered them as they saw more and more refugees coming to Helm's Deep. "Bar the gate. And set a watch on the surround."<p>

"What of those who cannot fight, my lord? The women and children?" asked Gamling as they began to walk down the nearby set of stairs.

"Get them into the caves," he answered. "Saruman's arm will have grown long indeed if he thinks he can reach us here," he said mostly to himself as he and his group walked alongside the small stream-like pool of water.

(Location: Isengard)

When Saruman had ordered Gríma to tell him about the fortress of Helm's Deep and whatever weakness it may have, he did as he was told. "Helm's Deep has one weakness. Its outer wall is solid rock, but for a small culvert at its base, which is little more than a drain."

Having heard those words, the White Wizard began preparing something that would take advantage of the small weakness with ease. He had a large, iron shell standing on the table in one of his workrooms and filled it with the ingredients needed to make it work.

Gríma, having watched the entire process from behind him with a candle in hand, only had questions. "How? How can fire undo stone?" he asked as he stepped forward and looked into the shell itself to see its contents. "What kind of device could bring down the wall?"

He leaned in to get a better look at what was inside the shell, bringing the candle with him as he did. Saruman saw what he about to do and stopped him by gripping the arm holding the candle. He got the silent warning and promptly stepped away. "If the wall is breached, Helm's Deep will fall," he said, walking out of the workroom.

"Even if it is breached, it would take a number beyond reckoning, thousands, to storm the Keep," Gríma protested as he followed.

"Tens of thousands," he corrected, walking out onto a balcony.

"But, my lord, there is no such force," the Wormtongue told him as he followed. When he stepped out of the tower and into the open air, he heard a horn sound off and saw a mass horde of Uruk-hai standing before the tower. When they saw their master, they began chanting a war cry that sounded suspiciously like "Tens of thousands."

Saruman raised his hand and they quieted down. "A new power is rising. Its victory is at hand," he told them, making the horde roar with bloodlust, until he raised his hand again. "This night…the land will be stained with the blood of Rohan! March to Helm's Deep! Leave none alive! To war!" he commanded, rising his arms into the air.

That command sent the Uruk-hai into a rage, roaring and bellowing their cruel joy at the chance to do what they were bred to do. Gríma looked down at the sheer number of Uruk-hai shouting and screaming, waving their tall pikes in the air. A tear escaped his eye, showing that at some level of his being, he had cared for Rohan, once.

But Saruman had none of that care "There will be no dawn for Men," he declared as he looked on.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

Why have Sasuke ride a horse when he can ride a warg? He's got the **Sharingan**, he can hypnotize a warg into letting him ride.

Am I the only one who thought that the Uruk-hai were chanting "Tens of thousands" during that scene in the movie? It sounded like that every time I've seen that scene. And since that was the case, I might as well put it in.

I'll see you all next chapter!


	17. The preparation

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or The Lord of the Rings.

A Shinobi of Middle-Earth

Chapter 17: The preparation

"Talking"

"_Thinking"_

"**Spirits/Ents talking"**

"_**Spirits/Ents thinking"**_

(Location: Fangorn)

Treebeard was walking slowly through the forest with Pippin and Merry riding on what could be described as his shoulders and Izuna walking beside him. The half-elf had (for lack of a better description) ridden the Ent from time to time, but preferred to have his feet on the ground. What he didn't tell the others that it was only as he walked that he saw some brief glimpse of a person in the forest and he wanted to know more. He didn't go far from Treebeard, but he would try to go after the glimpse. The problem was that it kept disappearing on him.

So when he didn't see the glimpses and they were bored, he would play a game he had learned from the hobbits. "I spy with my little eye something that is brown, tall and wooden," Pippin said since it was his turn.

Merry looked at him with a look of annoyance. "You've just described the entire forest surrounding us, Pip. Give us more to work with."

"Alright, it's also knotty and leans a bit."

"Again, you've just described the entire—"

"He's talking about the tree to our right and about ten feet behind us," Izuna answered as he kept walking. "It leans to the right and the base of it has knots in it."

"That's right," Pippin said, unsurprised that he got it. Aside from getting a few false ones at the beginning of their game, the half-elf had gotten every single one thrown at him.

"Alright, my turn," Merry said, looking around the surrounding forest. Treebeard was going up a hill, giving them a nice view of everything. "I spy with my little eye something small, with a coat, and can go very fast."

The other two players start looking around for what he had just described. "Is it that little bird over there?" Pippin asked, pointing at said bird nesting in a forest.

"No."

"Then how about that hawk?" he pointed upwards to a hawk flying up in the air. It was flying at such a height it looked like it could fit into one of their hands.

"Nope, not that," Merry said. "Honestly, Pip, I said small."

"I thought you were talking about distance-wise."

"No, I was talking about size-wise."

"He was talking about the raccoon in the tree on our left napping on the branch," Izuna told the Took.

Merry frowned. "You're right," he told Izuna. "Are you cheating?" It certainly felt like he was cheating.

He looked up at the hobbit. "How could I be cheating at a game I've only just learned?" he asked two of them. "My turn now," he declared when they didn't have an answer.

"Look," Pippin said suddenly as they reached the top of the hill. "There's smoke to the south." He sounded so serious that Izuna quickly forgot about the game.

Despite seeing the smoke, Treebeard didn't seem to be that worried about it. "**There is always smoke rising from Isengard these days,"** he told them.

"Isengard?" repeated Merry, surprised to hear that word. He had no idea they were close to Saruman's stronghold. Both he and Pippin climbed up higher on Treebeard to get a closer look. Izuna, having heard both of them speak, quickly joined them and stood on Treebeard's other shoulder.

"**There was a time when Saruman would walk in my woods,"** the Ent told them as they climbed.** "But now he has a mind of metal and wheels. He no longer cares for growing things.**

Once they had proper sight of Isengard, the three of them could also see what was leaving Isengard "What is it?" Pippin asked as he looked on at the thick, black column stretching out from Isengard to the horizon.

"It's Saruman's army," Merry said, realizing what that meant. "The war has started." All three of them shared looks with one another. The army of the former White Wizard was marching and there was nothing they could do.

(Location: Helm's Deep)

Sasuke walked through the camp made behind the Deeping Wall. They were waiting for news to come. Whether it would be about what Saruman had done or what aid may come to them, they did not know. All they could do was wait.

But even as they waited, Sasuke still could find things to do. He had sharpened the edge of the katana, had helped with the moving of supplies into the caves (where he had seen Gimli become awestruck by what he saw there), and now he was trying to find a place in the camp to sit down and rest for a few moments.

"Sasuke," he heard Boromir say as he past the man from Gondor.

He turned to look at the man. He was sitting on the ground with his back against the Deeping Wall. "I had thought that you would be helping," he commented.

"Aye, I was. But I tired and now I am resting."

"I can see." But it wasn't just that. He could see the sweat on Boromir's forehead, the paleness of his skin, and how out of breath he sounded. Something was happening with him, but it was not the shinobi's place to pry.

"By the way, have you see Legolas anywhere? I have not seen him."

He looked up at the Deeping Wall and then at the Hornburg, finally spotting the elf standing over the gate. "He's keeping watch."

"Oh, that's good."

Seeing that there was nothing else left to say, the raven-haired shinobi moved on away from him. As he walked through the camp, he did not make eye contact with any of the refugees and they didn't try either. Even those who were from Edoras were weary of this stranger who had saved their children, but kept to himself. Even as he walked, his hood was up over his head and his cloak hid what clothes he wore.

He did not pay attention to the not-staring he was getting from, he just walked past them. But when he was about to sit down, the boy who rode to Edoras came to him. "Bell Man," he said in greeting.

"What?" he asked shortly.

"Have you eaten?"

"No."

The boy did something unexpected: he grabbed the shinobi's hand and started pulling him along. "Come on then!"

Completely surprised by the action, Sasuke let himself be dragged along by the boy. Everyone nearby looked on as the stranger be pulled along by the boy. They started talking amongst themselves, wondering what was going on.

"Mama, Mama, I found him," the boy said as he finally stopped walking, coming before a small fire that had his sister and obviously his mother sitting around it.

"Éothain, what are you doing?" his mother demanded when she saw the sight in front of her.

"Why do you have the Bell Man with you?" his sister asked.

"I brought him so he could eat with us," Éothain answered both of them, like that answer was enough to satisfy them

It wasn't. "Young man, I raised you better than that!" his mother scolded him. He winced at the chastisement thrown at him.

Deciding to be a saving grace, Sasuke decided to intervene. "It's alright," he told her, removing his hood. "I am hungry."

"Oh." There was a moment of awkward silence before she spoke again. "Then please, sit."

He sat down at the fire, taking note of the large piece of meat roasting on the fire. When it was cooked enough, the mother carved off pieces and gave them to her children and to her guest. "Thank you," Sasuke said to her, taking the plate from her. He pulled out a kunai and began cutting it up.

They ate in silence for a moment, filling their stomachs because it was needed (three of them were too sacred of what was happening to enjoy food for what it was). By the time they were halfway through their meal, the conversation started up again. "Bell Man, do you have an actual name?" the girl asked him.

"Freda, manners!" the mother scolded her.

"But I just wanted to know," she protested. She looked over at him. "Could you tell me, please?"

"I'm sorry, my lord," her mother told him. "I have raised my children better than this."

"There is no need to worry, I am not offended," he said. "And I am not a lord. I'm just a wanderer."

"I remember."

He looked at her, a little curious to see what that meant. "Have we met before?" he asked.

Both her son and her daughter looked at her with surprise. "Mama, you met the Bell Man before?" Éothain asked her.

"It was when you were a babe and Freda was resting beneath my heart," she told both him and their guest. "He came into our village and stayed for the night. He was given lodgings, but kept to himself. But the next morning, when the sun had not yet risen, a band of orcs attacked the village. If it had not been for him, the sounds of battle would never have reached our ears and the men would not have rushed out to help him, driving the orcs away. We tried to thank and reward him, but he didn't take anything. He just left."

"I thought it would've been the best time to do so," Sasuke said, finally remembering that particular time. "And anyone would've done the same, no thanks was needed."

"We had disagreed, but you had already left," she replied.

"…I meant no offense," he told her after a moment of silence.

"And you gave none."

"Are you from Gondor?" Éothain asked him, his curiosity burning bright at the chance for more knowledge of the stranger.

He looked at the boy, saw the curiosity on his face, and seeing himself in him, indulged him. "No, I am not from Gondor. I am not even from Middle-Earth."

That surprised all three of them. Clearly, they had thought him to be from somewhere in Middle-Earth. "Where did you come from then?" asked Freda.

"I come from a land that is to the south. It has its own name in my native tongue, but here I have called it Southern-Earth."

"My lord! My lord!" shouted a guardsman as he came running through the camp towards their fire. When he finally stopped, he was panting hard.

"What is it?" Sasuke said to him, ignoring the fact that he was called a lord again (the only way he could be called that was if he formally became the head of the Uchiha clan).

"You…you must come with me, my lord," he said. "Lord Aragorn has been sighted. He's coming into the Hornburg as we speak."

A silent wave of relief swept through him at that news. While he had been afraid that the Ranger was dead like the rest of his group, he didn't show it, just like he didn't show his relief now. "I see, thank you," he said before going back to his food.

The guard was surprised by his reaction. "My lord, will you not come right now?"

"I will meet with Aragorn when I have finished the meal this nice family has given me. I will not be so rude to them as to leave before finishing it," he said shortly.

"Of, of course, my lord," the guardsman said.

"Thank you for saying that," Éothain and Freda's mother said to him as the guardsman left.

"It is not any trouble, madam," he replied. What he kept to himself was that he enjoyed talking to the three of them, especially Freda and Éothain. They reminded him of himself when he had been a kid.

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Aragorn had lived through his fall to the river and was found by the horse he had asked to be freed in Edoras, Brego. He rode that horse to Helm's Deep, where the people looked at him with awe.<p>

As he dismounted from Brego, an angry dwarf voice filled the air. "Where is he? Where is he? Get out of the way! I'm going to kill him!" Gimli pushed through the crowds and stood before the Ranger. "You are the luckiest, the canniest, and the most reckless man I ever knew." He went for the hug, which Aragorn did not stop. "Bless you, laddie."

After taking the hug in, Aragorn pushed him back enough so they could speak. "Gimli, where is the king?" he asked. The dwarf nodded to the hall at the top of the stairs. He nodded once and went up the stairs at a quick rate, belting on his sword as he went.

Just as he was about to reach the doors to the hall, Legolas and Boromir stood before him. "Le abdollen (You're late)," Legolas told him before looking over him. "You look terrible."

"He'll be fine," Boromir said. "It's not like he fell into a river from a great height." All three of them cracked a grin at those words, happy to see each other again.

Éowyn was nearby, helping some of the refugees, when she saw Aragorn standing there. She began walking quickly over to him, only to stop when she saw Legolas give him something. She realized that it was the jewel he worn on the path to Helm's Deep. "Hannon le (Thank you)," she heard the Ranger say to the walked away, knowing what she might say to him would never do.

As Aragorn walked past Legolas and Boromir and went for the doors, he saw Sasuke standing by them. "Nice to see you're still alive," the shinobi said simply.

It might not have been much, but the Ranger could hear the silent relief in those words. "Thank you. The king is inside, I hope? I have news that he will need to hear."

Sasuke didn't say anything. He simply went for the doors and pushed them open. "Théoden King, Aragorn is here," he declared for the hall to hear.

The king of Rohan looked on from his throne with his guards by his side as Aragorn entered the hall. "Théoden King, I have news that must be shared," he said.

"Those who need to hear this news stay. Otherwise, clear the hall," Théoden declared. Those who weren't needed there left just as quickly as those who were needed coming in (including Legolas, Boromir, and Gimli).

The Lord of the Mark stood from his throne and began walking through the hall as he heard Aragorn's news. "A great host, you say?" he repeated what he heard.

"All Isengard is emptied," Aragorn told him. He had seen it as he rode Brego to Helm's Deep.

"How many?" he asked.

"Ten thousand strong at least," the Ranger told him.

The king went still as he heard those words. "Ten thousand?" he asked, turning back to look at him.

Aragorn nodded briefly. What he had seen of the Uruk-hai had been like a black horde marching towards Helm's Deep. "It is an army bred for a single purpose: to destroy the world of Men," he declared. "They will be here by nightfall."

Théoden was silent as he looked at all the people in the hall. Finally, he turned his head and went for the doors. "Let them come!"

"_What is the king thinking?"_ Sasuke and the other members of the Fellowship there thought as they followed him.

As he began to walk down the Hornburg, Théoden gave his order to Gamling. "I want every man and strong lad, able to bear arms, to be ready for battle by nightfall." The guardsman nodded and went off. The king and the Fellowship stepped outside the gate and looked at what was around them. "We will cover the causeway and the gate from above. No army has ever breached the Deeping Wall, or set foot inside the Hornburg!"

"This is no rabble of mindless Orcs," Gimli told him from where he stood before the gate, his hands resting on his axe. "These are Uruk-hai. Their armor is thick and their shields broad.

The king went straight up to him. "I have fought many wars, Master Dwarf," he replied, evenly and yet warningly. "I know how to defend my own keep." He walked back into said keep, passing an annoyed dwarf (who got a reassuring hand from Aragorn).

As they climbed up to the inner ramparts, Théoden told them what he thought would happen. "They will break upon this fortress like water on rock. Saruman's hordes will pillage and burn. We've seen it before. Crops can be resown, homes rebuilt. Within these walls, we will outlast them."

"They do not come to destroy Rohan's crops or villages. They come to destroy its people, down to the last child," Aragorn told him.

But he had said it in front of some guards, so Théoden took his arm and pulled him in. "What would you have me do?" he asked with a whisper, quiet enough to keep it private but loud for the other Fellowship members to hear. "Look at my men. Their courage hangs by a thread. If this is to be our end, then I would have them make such an end, as to be worthy of remembrance."

He turned around and started walking away. "Send out riders, my lord," the Ranger told him, making him stop. "You must call for aid."

"And who will come?" he challenged, coming back. "Elves? Dwarves? Strangers from a different land? We are not so lucky in our friends as you. The old alliances are dead."

Boromir had an answer for him, having heard everything. "Gondor will answer, Théoden King," he said. "The Oath of Eorl will be upheld by my father."

But if that was supposed to make the king happy, it didn't work. "Gondor?!" repeated Théoden, turning his head to look at the Captain-General. "Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?! Where was Gondor when our enemies closed in around us?! Where was Gon—?" He stopped himself from continuing, lest he say something he would regret. "No, my Lord Aragorn, my Lord Boromir, we are alone."

Sasuke stared directly at him. He could see that the man was committed to this fate that was to come upon them. _"Nothing will convince him otherwise now,"_ he thought to himself.

Théoden walked away from the Fellowship, down the ramparts, and then to the hall. "Get the women and children into the caves," he ordered Gamling, who had fallen in behind him.

"We need more time to lay provisions—" Gamling began to say.

"There is no time," the king cut him off. "War is upon us."

That ended the argument. "Secure the gate," Gamling told a pair of nearby guardsmen, who did as they were ordered. No one noticed the flock of Crebain in the air overlooking the valley.

(Location: Fangorn)

"**We Ents have not troubled about the wars of Men and Wizards for a very long time,"** Treebeard told the hobbits and the half-elf as they kept walking through the forest. But ahead of them was a light that could only belong to the open sky. **"But now, something is about to happen that has not happened for an Age."** He walked out of the trees and into the clearing. **"Entmoot,"** he declared.

They looked around the clearing and only saw a large slab of rock pointing upwards into the air at an angle. "What's that? Merry asked him, talking about the Entmoot.

"**'Tis a gathering,"** he answered.

"A gathering of what?" asked the hobbit.

The forest all around them moaned, groaned, and stirred to his question. As he listened to the forest, Izuna knew the answer. "A gathering of Fangorn," he said.

As if to answer his words, other Ents began to come out of the forest and into the clearing. They all had different appearances and they came at their own pace. **"Beech. Oak. Chestnut. Ash. Good. Good. Good. Many have come,"** Treebeard said as he looked at his fellow Ents. **"Now we must decide if the Ents will go to war."**

(Location: Helm's Deep)

The guards were already taking what men and boys they could find to take them to the armory to be suited for war. The others who weren't being taken, the women and children who were too young, were heading into the caves for safety. Aragorn was walking against the flow of the people going into the cave. "We'll place the reserves along the wall. They can support the archers from above the gate," he said to Legolas and Boromir, who were following him. He saw that Sasuke was nearby, guiding people into the caves.

"Aragorn, you must rest," Legolas told him. "You're no use to us half alive."

"We do not have time to rest," he replied.

"Then you must make time," Boromir said to him, agreeing with Legolas.

"My lord! Aragorn!" called out Éowyn as she came towards him. "I'm to be sent with the women into the caves," she told him.

Already he could tell that was not what she wanted. But he could not speak against Théoden's orders. "That is an honorable charge," he told her.

"To mind the children, to find food and bedding when the men return," she protested. "What renown is there in that?"

"My lady, a time may come for valor without renown. Who then will your people look to in the last defense?" he asked her.

She knew the answer, but did not want to hear it. "Let me stand at your side."

"It is not in my power to command it." He turned to go back to his duties.

"You do not command the others to stay!" she said to him, making him stop and turn back to her. "They fight beside you because they would not be parted from you. Because they love you," she declared. In the silence that followed, they stared at each other. Finally, she bowed her head and looked away. "I'm sorry." She walked away from him, following the crowd.

Even as the people of Rohan went into the caves and began finding places to settle, the men who were young enough and the boys who were old enough were taken by the guards to be fitted for the coming fight. Their wives and mothers cried as they watched them be taken away. They knew that it had to happen, but they didn't have to like it. Éowyn tied back her hair. She may want to be in the upcoming fight, but she was here and she would do what was asked of her.

* * *

><p>The men and boys who were conscripted into fighting were taken to the armory to be given armor and weapons. Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, and Boromir stood in the middle of the room, looking at the people in there and at the weapons. "Farmers, farriers, stable boys. These are no soldiers," Aragorn declared.<p>

"That may be, but they are all we have left," Boromir said to him.

"That does not make it right, Boromir," Gimli told him. "Most have seen too many winters."

"Or too few," Legolas added as he scanned the room. "Look at them. They're frightened. I can see it in their eyes." His statement made the entire room stop and look at him. "Boe a hyn…neled herain dan caer menig(And they should be...three hundred against ten thousand)?" he asked in Sindarin to Aragorn.

"Si beriathar hyn ammaeg na ned Edoras (They have more hope of defending themselves here than at Edoras)," the Ranger answered in the same tongue.

"Aragorn, nedin dagor hen ú-'erir ortheri," he replied. "Natha daged dhaer(Aragorn, they cannot win this fight. They are all going to die)!"

"Then I shall die as one of them!" the Ranger shouted, switching back to the common tongue. The two of them glared at each other and then the Man turned to walk away.

Legolas moved to go after him, only to have Gimli stop him. "Let him go, lad," the dwarf said. "Let him be."

(Location: Fangorn)

Night had fallen since the Entmoot had convened and the Ents were still standing around the rock. They were not speaking words that the other people there could understand. All they could hear was the moaning and groaning one would expect from trees.

Pippin had tried to get some sleep and he had fallen asleep a few hours back. But a loud groan had woken him up and he saw Merry pacing the ground. "It's been going for hours," the Brandybuck told him.

"They have something quite serious to talk about," Izuna said from where he stood next to a tree. "Perhaps they have a lot of things to decide."

"They must have decided something by now," Pippin said in reply, standing up from where he was sleeping.

"**Decided?"** Treebeard repeated, having heard the two of them. He turned around to look at them. **"No. We only just finished saying…good morning."**

The hobbits and half-elf stared at him for a long second. "I stand corrected," Izuna said.

"But it's nighttime already," Merry said to Treebeard, annoyed at his attitude. "You can't take forever."

"**Don't be hasty,"** the Ent told him.

"We're running out of time!" he tried telling them. But the Ent only turned his head back to the Entmoot.

Izuna saw another glimpse in the forest. "I will be back," he told the two hobbits, going in the direction of the glimpse. When he reached the spot, he saw another glimpse deeper in the forest. He went further in, determine to find who it was that wore red that kept appearing before him.

**End**

**Author's note:** Thank you for all the reviews you've sent me.

When it comes to I Spy in Middle-Earth, I think that the Hobbits would've been the ones to invent it. They have that kind of time. Then again, you probably don't want to play that game with a person with a **Sharingan**.

If you want to know what that whole part with Sasuke and the family was about, call it a first step.

I'll see you all next chapter!


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